A 44-year-old man was remanded in custody on Thursday after being accused of going on a theft spree from parked cars. 

Ilia Tusishvili, a construction worker from Georgia, was arraigned before Magistrate Rachel Montebello accused of eight counts of theft and causing damage to a number of vehicles. Four of the thefts took place in St Paul's Bay and one each from Gzira, St Julian's, Ta' Xbiex and Msida.  

Police Inspector Michael Vella told the court that throughout January and February, police had received reports of theft from cars. After noticing some similarities, investigators combined reports of thefts from St Paul’s Bay, Gzira, St Julian’s, Ta Xbiex and Msida and started comparing evidence. 

Analysis of various snippets of CCTV footage led police to believe that Tusishvili was responsible for the thefts. He was arrested on Wednesday and questioned.

In each instance, police said that the value of the stolen items did not individually exceed €2,329.37 in value. 

Tusishvili pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer Noel Bianco saying that no request for bail would be made at this stage. 

Bianco also asked the court to recommend the prison director carry out an assessment of the accused and identify any issues he has so that they can be addressed while the case is waiting to be assigned. The court accepted this request. 

Police Inspector Franceso Mizzi and AG lawyer Alessia Schembri also prosecuted. 

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