Two teenagers found in possession of stolen jewellery minutes after a break-in at a Naxxar residence on Monday night were granted bail pending sentencing upon arraignment on Wednesday.

18-year-old Iain Alekxander Turnball, a bartender from Qawra, and Jamie Nicholas Jameson Magro, also 18 and a bartender from Mosta, were arrested shortly after the owner of the Naxxar property reported the burglary at 3:00 am on Tuesday morning.

He told police that two suspects, captured on CCTV footage, had entered his home.

Some vehicles parked in the area were also vandalized.

Minutes after that report, police received a tip-off about two suspicious-looking persons wielding a sharp instrument in Triq il-Port Ruman, St Paul’s Bay.

The suspects were arrested.

Police found a machete, an axe and jewellery in their possession. The valuables were stolen from the Naxxar house minutes before.

A car driven by the suspects had also been stolen from the property some days earlier.

On Wednesday afternoon the teens were jointly charged with driving the car without the owner’s consent, as well as without a licence and insurance cover.

They were also charged with aggravated theft and wilful damage to third party property, as well as carrying a sharp or pointed instrument without a police licence.

They both registered an admission which they confirmed after being given sufficient time to reconsider.

The court, presided over by magistrate Elaine Rizzo, upheld the defence’s request for a pre-sentencing report.

Pending sentencing, the defence requested bail.

That request was upheld on condition of not approaching the prosecution witnesses, signing the bail book daily, under a curfew between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am, against a deposit of €300 and a personal guarantee of €1000 each.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, assisting Jameson Magro, pointed out that the stolen items had been retrieved by the police before the arraignment.

The court also issued a protection order in favour of the victims.

AG lawyer Brandon Bonnici and Inspector Francesca Maria Calleja prosecuted.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Frank Anthony Tabone were counsel to Jameson Magro.

Lawyer Julia Micallef Stafrace was counsel to Turnball.