A repentant thief, struggling to quit his drug habit, was condemned to 18 months in jail after admitting to having carried out an armed robbery from a Żejtun store on New Year's Eve.

Wayne Caruana, 43, was accused of having last Saturday at around 8.20pm, burst into the Convenience Shop in Bishop Emmanuel Galea and fled with €350 in cash after holding four persons against their will.

The court, presided by magistrate Joseph Mifsud, noted that the accused had admitted to the armed hold-up and had repented for what he had done. Moreover he had returned the cash to the store owner.

The court observed that the accused had a drug problem he could not overcome alone. It was also noted that the man had openly declared that he wanted to free himself of his addiction and establish a healthy and stable relationship with society.

Supporting the accused's desire to become "a worthy citizen of this country", the court declared that an effective jail term would "give the accused a chance to choose the right path in life, to receive treatment for his addiction rather than start the habit of going in and out of jail."

Although the courts are to take note of public sentiment, the magistrate, quoting earlier case law, stated that "the main duty of the court is to lead public opinion".

Given the almost clean criminal record sheet of the accused, as well as his apology to his victims in open court, the court condemned the man to an effective jail term of 18 months.

It also placed him under a supervision order for three years. The accused was also placed under a treatment order for 3 years so as to receive all necessary help to overcome his psychological problems.

Inspectors Fabian Fleri and Johann Fenech prosecuted.