A teenager was let off with a stern warning and placed on probation for two and a half years after admitting to being an accomplice in a theft from a Qormi factory.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, replied that he was supposed to start school on Monday when asked whether he had a job.

The minor was arrested at his mother’s residence in Birkirkara.

Magistrate Gabriella Vella warned him that failure to abide by his probation’s terms could see him face eight months to four years in prison. “Do not end up in prison. You don’t need to,” she said.

Police Inspector John Spiteri prosecuted. Lawyer Martha Mifsud was defence counsel.