Stolen mechanical plough returned to owner for servicing!

A man who had reported a mechanical plough as having been stolen was surprised when a man turned up with it, asking for it to be serviced.

Carmel Callus, 40, Alfred Spiteri, 37 and his father Joseph 68, were accused with stealing the mechanical plough and other farming equipment from a room in a field in Zabbar. They were also charged with handling stolen property and damaging the room from where the items were stolen.

The room belonged to the Pulis family.

The case allegedly happened in April 2004.

The court was told that on the same day that the theft was reported, Alfred Spiteri took the mechanical plough to the Pulis Family for servicing. The family is also the local agent of the brand, and one of the Pulis brothers immediately declared that the plough actually belonged to him.

Magistrate Antonio Mizzi said there was enough evidence that Joseph Spiteri had bought the equipment from Carmel Callus on the advice of his son Alfred. Callus had sold them the mechanical plough for Lm520.

During the compilation of evidence, Carmel Callus said that he had bought the items from an Arab man who had told him he had bought them off a retiring farmer.

Magistrate Mizzi said there was no evidence linking Alfred and Joseph Spiteri to the theft and they had acted in good faith. He therefore found them not guilty.

However the version given by Carmel Callus could not be believed and he should have known that the items had a dubious origin. He found Mr Callus not guilty of stealing the items and damaging the room in Zabbar, but convicted him of handling stolen property.

Mr Callus was condemned to 12 months jail suspended for four years.