A man caught in Spain and brought back to Malta to face charges over a 2015 robbery has been sentenced to 21 months in prison. 

George-Cristian Mandrescu, a 32-year old Romanian national working in the construction industry, pleaded guilty to the aggravated November 2015 theft from an apartment on St Joseph High Road, St Venera.

Jewellery and various other items, including electronic devices, were allegedly stolen that day, the court was told. 

Investigations pointed in the direction of Mandrescu, who had since left Malta and was ultimately tracked down in Spain.

Mandrescu was arraigned in court on Friday morning, one day after he was flown back from Spain, where he was caught by Spanish police on November 11, acting on the basis of a European Arrest Warrant. 

Prosecuting Inspector Christina Delia explained that Mandrescu had fully cooperated during interrogation and had accompanied police onsite, indicating the place of the robbery and even recalling some of the items stolen.

Moreover he had told police that at the time of the theft, he had a substance abuse problem.

Since then, after leaving Malta he had successfully completed a drug rehabilitation programme and had no further brush with the law in any other country, as attested by his Romanian conduct sheet, said Delia. 

The suspect was held under preventive custody since his arrest two months ago.

He pleaded guilty to aggravated theft, confirming his admission through the assistance of a Romanian interpreter after being given sufficient time to reconsider.

After hearing submissions on punishment by both the prosecution and the defence the court, presided over by magistrate Ian Farrugia, declared the man guilty and condemned him to a 21-month jail term, less the term spent under arrest.

When meting out punishment the court took note of the accused’s cooperation, his early guilty plea, the drug abuse problem at the time of the incident which was subsequently addressed and also the fact that he recalled some of the items to confirm his admission. 

Lawyer Joseph Brincat was legal aid counsel.