A suspect thief caught red-handed by a homeowner, who promptly alerted the police on Wednesday afternoon, was denied bail after protesting his innocence in court on Thursday.

Massimo Caruso, a 48-year-old Sicilian national living at Żurrieq, was escorted to court following his arrest. The suspect intruder had allegedly made off with the woman’s jewellery after breaking into her Qrendi home at around 2.15pm.

Prosecuting inspector Saviour Baldacchino from the Major Crimes Unit explained how he had followed media reports about the alleged incident before members of the Rapid Intervention Unit managed to track down the suspect’s car, a red BMW belonging to Caruso.

The victim had chased the intruder out of the house and managed to get a snapshot of the man before he got away in the red vehicle. 

A “crystal clear” suspect footprint, inside the woman’s home offered “black on white” evidence, Baldacchino explained, adding that he had immediately photographed the footprint close to the thief’s point of entry through the back of the house. 

The victim reported that various items of jewellery, worth over €2,300, had gone missing.

The suspect was tracked down while police were still investigating the crime scene and Baldacchino directed the officers to forward him a photo of the sole on the suspect’s slippers.

At first glance, that photo appeared to match the footprint left behind by the intruder, Baldacchino explained. 

On Thursday, the suspect pleaded not guilty to aggravated theft, breaching bail, committing the crime while under probation as well as relapsing. 

His lawyer, George Anton Buttigieg, contested the validity of his arrest arguing that police had pressed charges upon the basis of the description given by the victim of the intruder, his sweater, the getaway car and the “matching” footprint. 

But the court turned down those arguments as well as a request for bail after the prosecution objected on the grounds that evidence could be tampered with since the accused knew where the victim lived.

Moreover, the man had a “very colourful” criminal record and had wasted several chances, in spite of serving a long spell behind bars, Baldacchino pointed out, adding that the accused also had “other problems”.

Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace remanded the man in custody. 

Inspector Janetta Grixti also prosecuted.