Man imprisoned for four and a half years for stealing €300 and domestic violence

A 29-year-old man from Qormi on Saturday was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for stealing money from a work colleague in a St Julians restaurant and for domestic violence against his ex-partner.

Llewwlyn Xerri admitted all charges in front of Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia, except that of being a recidivist.

The Court found him guilty of threatening his former partner and causing her minor physical injury in the presence of a child, of breaching a probation order and committing a crime during a suspended sentence period. He was acquitted of being a recidivist due to lack of evidence by the prosecution.

Xerri was arrested and arraigned in February after the police were tipped off that he was in a St Julians band club following a public “wanted” notice.

Llewwlyn Xerri in a file photo issued by the police when he was a "wanted" man.

In January, police in St Julians had received a report from an employee at Manouche restaurant claiming cash had been stolen from his haversack at work. CCTV footage showed Xerri opening the bag and taking the money.

Meanwhile his ex-partner filed a separate police report claiming he had assaulted and injured her at her St Paul’s Bay residence that same month and had breached a protection order.

On Saturday Xerri was ordered to pay €343 in Court expenses and €300 compensation to the person he robbed. A three-year restraining order in favour of his former partner was also imposed. 

The Court took into consideration the fact that although he had admitted to the charges, he only did so in the fourth sitting which is still relatively early in the proceedings and "therefore did not waste court time and resources any further".

The court also took note of his six previous convictions for theft and one driving contravention. Xerri also has a drug problem and he said he wished to address this while he is in prison.