Professional pickpockets jailed once again
Duo from Romania plead guilty to a raft of thefts dating back to 2023
Two professional pickpockets will be returning to jail after pleading guilty to various thefts across the country.
Daniel Maftei, 53, and 39-year-old Lucian-Ionut Serban, both from Romania, appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
Prosecuting inspector Sarah Magri explained that the investigation began in 2023 when the police were investigating CCTV footage showing a man pickpocketing unsuspecting individuals. From the police system, it emerged that the man in the footage was Daniel Maftei.
At the time, Maftei was not in Malta. But earlier this year, the police received an alert that the 53-year-old had returned to the country, prompting the investigators to request an arrest warrant.
Going through CCTV footage for May, the police found other instances of pickpocketing and identified other suspects.
Maftei and Serban were both arrested.
String of pickpocket thefts
It subsequently emerged that the men also pickpocketed two men in Rabat on May 12 and three others a day earlier in Marsaxlokk.
Maftei was also accused of stealing from an individual near a bus stop in Rabat on October 6, 2023.
Both were accused of recidivism as they had already been found guilty of pickpocketing in the past.
The two men have a history of pickpocketing. Just over a year ago, Serban was jailed after pleading guilty to stealing tourists’ bank cards in Rabat. In 2019, Maftei was suspected of forming part of a pickpocketing gang that travelled between Romania and Malta, and was arrested and remanded in custody.
The men pleaded guilty.
The court warned them that they could face effective imprisonment and gave them some time to consult with their lawyers and rethink their plea. They confirmed that they were admitting to the crimes.
The prosecution and defence made joint submissions on punishment, asking for nine months' effective imprisonment. The prosecution also asked for the restitution of the stolen objects to the victims.
The two men were found guilty by their own admission and jailed for nine months each.
Prosecutors' request for them to repay money stolen was dismissed as the court held that the prosecution did not bring forward the relevant evidence.
Magistrate Elaine Rizzo presided over the arraignment.
Police inspectors Sarah Magri and Andrew Agius prosecuted.
Lawyer Lennox Vella assisted Maftei, and legal aid lawyer Ingrid Zammit Young assisted Serban.