A man who stands charged with defrauding several people of more than €9,000 retracted a guilty plea in court on Thursday when he was given time to reflect.  

Mark Mallia, 35, from Zabbar, at first insisted on pleading guilty but then changed his plea when asked to confirm it. 

He was charged with defrauding several people of varying amounts when he duped them into paying deposits for the rental of apartments in Zabbar which were not even his. This happened in November last year.

He was also charged with defrauding a cab company when he managed to access its online booking system.

He was further charged with misuse of communication equipment. 

Mallia paced nervously in the dock as Magistrate Ian Farrugia explained that his guilty plea could see him going to jail for a considerable time. 

After the magistrate gave him time to reconsider his plea, Mallia consulted defence counsel Sue Mercieca and then said he was pleading not guilty to the charges. 

He did not request bail and was remanded in custody. 

Police Inspectors Darren Buhagiar and Keith Xerri prosecuted.