A man was remanded in custody on Wednesday after pleading not guilty to stealing €30,000 from a safe at his parents’ home.
Steve Frendo, 36, was charged with aggravated theft and wilful damage to his parents’ property.
The prosecution explained that on Sunday, St Julian’s police received a report about a suspected robbery. They were told that someone had entered a Pembroke residence between 1pm and 7pm and €30,000 in cash went missing from a safe.
There appeared to be no signs of break in. Only the safe was broken into.
The alleged victims, the defendant’s parents, suspected their son, claiming that he had robbed them before.
They also told police that he was currently jobless.
It resulted to the police that, Frendo had earlier called relatives to check if his parents were at home.
Mobile location data and CCTV footage showed that Frendo was at Pembroke around the time of the robbery and he was seen leaving his parents’ residence on the footage.
He was arrested at his partner’s residence in Gzira. A vest and shoes matching those on the CCTV were found during in the search. No cash was found, however, other than some €1000, possibly part of the stolen amount.
Frendo pleaded not guilty to aggravated theft and wilful damage to third party property.
His lawyers, Matthew Xuereb and Alex Scerri Herrera, requested bail and expressed doubts on the parents’ version of events.
Police Inspector Joseph Mercieca said that the money had apparently been handed to the defendant’s parents by his ex for safekeeping. They were helping to raise his son and that money was meant for that purpose.
The defence doubted the existence of those funds, arguing that the third party who stepped in between the defendant and his parents, may have “inflated the amount.”
Magistrate Leonard Caruana, turned down the request for bail since the main civilian witnesses are still to testify.
The court deemed that the defendant could not offer the necessary guarantees in terms of law.
AG lawyer Miryea Mifsud prosecuted together with Inspectors Joseph Mercieca and Daryl Farr. Lawyers Matthew Xuereb and Alex Scerri Herrera were defence counsel.