A 24-year-old man was denied bail on Wednesday after being charged with a string of thefts from a St Paul’s Bay apartment block.

Hasam Samuel Ezzeldin was charged with stealing various objects from three tenants residing in the same apartment block, with each item ranging from €232.94 and €2,329.37 in value.

He was also charged with causing damage, not in excess of €250 in value, on three separate occasions at the expense of the landlord. He was also charged with relapsing.

Police Inspector Warren Galea told the court that reports of thefts at the apartment block in Qawra had started some 10 months ago. Suspicions had been raised that Ezzeldin was behind the thefts after a fingerprint was found on one scene that matched him.

CCTV footage had also been recovered which reportedly showed the accused taking out bags that were later found to contain some of the stolen items.

Throwing sidelong glances at his weeping mother and bleary-eyed siblings sitting on the benches opposite him, Ezzeldin pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Making a case for bail, the defence said that the accused had full support from his family, who are willing to take him in, as well as a steady job and a willingness to meet any conditions imposed by the court, including treatment orders for any of his “vices” which were not explicitly named in court.

Given the huge gaps in time between the three charges, the court should consider that there was little fear that the accused could tamper with evidence or intimidate witnesses. He had ample opportunity to do so in the months since the first report, they said.

The prosecution objected to the bail request, however, saying that up until last week, Ezzeldin did not know that evidence was being gathered against him.

The apartment block in which the thefts occurred is the current residence of the accused’s ex-girlfriend, where he had also been living before their break-up.

She, as well as other residents of the block who are known to him, should be protected, they said, especially in the light that if released to live with his mother, Ezzeldin would only be living two kilometres away from the block.

The accused also has a criminal record of similar offences that ought to be taken into consideration.

In his decision on the bail decree, Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi said that the court thinks Ezzeldin is not currently able to meet the conditions required by the court to grant bail and that he “could be tempted” to contact the alleged victims and witnesses yet to testify in proceedings.

For these reasons, the court denied him bail at this stage in the proceedings, prompting audible sobs from Ezzeldin’s mother.

“If someone is not heavy-handed with your son right now, he will keep going down a bad path,” Azzopardi told her gently.

“But if you give him to me I can take care of him,” the distraught woman replied.

“It’s for his own good, he has to realise now that the court is not convinced he can keep up conditions and is not going to take a risk about it, because he will only end up with more charges against him,” the magistrate said.

He chided Ezzeldin, telling him to see the consequences of his actions and warned him to take the protection order issued against the victims seriously.

“Don’t talk to these people and don’t try to get your family to talk to these people until your final sentence,” he said, warning him that he could be fined up to €7,000 if he did.

Inspectors Warren Galea and Francesco Mizzi, assisted by AG lawyer Etienne Savona prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb appeared for the accused.