A man was conditionally discharged for two years on Sunday after admitting to stealing €700 worth of meat from a local supermarket on eight occasions spanning over three months.

Klodjan Ranci, a 49-year-old Albanian national who lives in Floriana, admitted to stealing the foodstuffs and a toaster from Smart Supermarket in Balzan between February and Saturday, when he was finally caught red-handed.

Police inspector Ritienne Gauci told Magistrate Leonard Caruana that the man was caught through CCTV footage. He admitted to stealing the foodstuffs once in February and April and another six times throughout May, including on successive days.

The court heard how he hid the items he ordered from the butcher inside his bag and failed to place them on the conveyor belt at checkout.

The inspector said that although she had checked the conviction sheet which seems clean, she could not provide the court with a copy because there was no electricity at the police depot.

Defence lawyers Franco Debono and Karl Micallef said their client was admitting to charges as he had done in the police statement. He had also paid the supermarket the entire amount he had stolen, had cooperated fully with the police and was admitting at his first available opportunity.

Magistrate Caruana upheld their request for a conditional discharge and conditionally discharged him for two years.