A 75-year-old mother and her son were remanded in custody on Wednesday afternoon over their alleged involvement in a pickpocketing trio targetting handbags and then stealing cash from ATMs using stolen credit cards. 

Aleksandrova Gergina, 75, her 46-year-old son, Aleksandrov Zlatko, together with Aleksandrova Eftima, 27, all Bulgarian nationals, were targeted as the suspects behind a string of thefts carried out mainly in Valletta over a one-year span. 

Inspectors Daryl Borg and Gabriel Micallef charged the trio with having stolen a woman’s handbag in September 2022.

Two days later, on September 15, 2022, they allegedly withdrew €600 from a Valletta ATM using the victim’s credit card. 

That theft was followed by a similar episode on September 17 when the accused allegedly made off with another handbag containing a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses, a pair of spectacles, a wallet, cash and other personal items. 

That same day they again withdrew €600 from a different ATM in the capital. 

Almost a year later, the trio, who told the court that they were currently staying at a hotel, allegedly stole a handbag from Valletta and a wallet from Sliema. 

The man had previously been handed two suspended sentences and was thus charged as a relapser. 

All three pleaded not guilty. 

Their legal aid lawyer, Christopher Chircop, requested bail, but the prosecution objected, arguing that the accused had no fixed address and could easily abscond.

The defence rebutted that the issue about the risk of absconding could be flagged at every arraignment. 

In this case, all three were staying at a hotel, argued the lawyer.

However, the court, presided over by Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace, turned down the request. 

After being informed that one of the accused had some medical issues, the court recommended that the prison director was to afford the woman all necessary care.