A relapser has landed a three-year jail term after stealing a Mercedes car and a van in Gozo.
Marc Luigi Alwan, 22, having no fixed address, was tracked down by police in the early hours of June 25, shortly after the owner of a Mercedes Benz had called the Rabat police station to report that his car had disappeared.
That car had been parked outside the owner’s home at Marsalforn.
A few minutes after the theft was reported, at 2.30am, a security officer detailed outside an Ghajnsielem night shelter informed the police that he had spotted the accused going by with a black car key in hand. Soon after, he saw Alwan drive away in a white Ford Transit van, bearing the advert of a local supermarket.
He was intercepted as he headed towards Gharb and as soon as police officers blocked his path, he willingly handed over a black car key, bearing the Mercedes logo.
Alwan explained that he was running night deliveries for a local supermarket and also confirmed that the key belonged to a certain “Joey,” the owner of the Mercedes which had been reported missing.
When contacted by police, the owner of the Ford Transit denied that Alwan was or had ever been engaged to work for him. The van had been left unlocked outside his stores at Kerċem, the owner said.
The suspect was arrested.
Under interrogation, he defiantly refused to cooperate, giving no information about the whereabouts of the Mercedes and also turned down legal assistance.
Later in August, police acting on a tip-off managed to find the Mercedes, tucked away in an alley at Għarb.
After due forensic tests, the vehicle was returned to its owner.
Meanwhile, a court-appointed psychiatrist reported that the accused was mentally fit and in full control of his senses.
When delivering judgment on Thursday, the Gozo court, presided by Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, concluded that both thefts, aggravated by the nature of the things stolen and the fact that they took place at night, had been proved.
As for the value of the vehicles, the court observed that the Mercedes owner had first told police that the car was worth €1,000, later citing €3,500 to €4,000 as the value, when testifying in court.
The van owner had supplied an estimated value in court.
The accused’s criminal record was tainted by various previous convictions, observed the court, thus confirming the recidivism.
After dwelling at length upon the various aspects of punishment, Magistrate Mifsud observed that the accused had manifested “no effort to get back on the right path, but rather persisted in defiance, even refusing the assistance of a legal aid lawyer.”
Whilst noting that the accused was a relapser, the court also observed that both victims had forgiven him.
In the light of such considerations,the court declared Alwan guilty and condemned him to a 3-year effective jail term, less the time spent under preventive arrest and payment of court expert expenses of €172.64 within one month.
Inspector Josef Gauci prosecuted.