A woman and two male accomplices caught in the act of stealing from a building site by the owner, who happened to be a policeman, were charged on Tuesday, hours after being arrested.

Brendan Cachia, 35, from Vittoriosa, unemployed; Ramon Abela, 46, from Cospicua, currently boarded out; and Josephine Alsulayman, 46, also from Cospicua, who said in court that she “did odd jobs”; faced a raft of charges linking them to a series of thefts.

Two days ago, the police were investigating a case concerning a reported theft from a Kalkara construction site.

That same night, three suspicious figures were spotted at the building site by the owner who happened to be a police officer, Inspector Stephen Gulia said when outlining the events which led to the arrest of the accused. 

The owner’s police instincts kicked in and he promptly intervened, managing to catch one of the men, later identified as Ramon Abela.

The other two suspects slipped away but were soon identified with the help of CCTV footage which showed that the trio had been stealing from the construction site all day.

Cachia was soon tracked down on Monday afternoon, while Alsulayman was arrested on Tuesday morning shortly before her arraignment.

A slight-framed woman who looked much older than her age, Alsulayman shifted restlessly in the dock, rocking nervously and muttering an occasional comment in the direction of her fellow accused, with escorting officers intervening from time to time to keep the situation under control. 

Some of the stolen items had been recovered and returned to the owner, the court was informed. 

All three accused were charged with theft from the Kalkara construction site on Sunday.

Cachia was separately charged with two other thefts on April 11 and 13 from a Cospicua garage and a place in Ħamrun, as well as breaching bail conditions and also failing to go to the police headquarters when instructed to do so earlier in April.

Abela was also separately charged with breaching bail conditions.

All three were charged with relapsing. 

As each was asked whether they pleaded guilty or not, Cachia registered an admission which he confirmed after being warned by the court. 

“You know that such admission carries a possible jail term,” asked Magistrate Victor George Axiak. 

“I will get jail,” stressed the man, nodding for emphasis, adding “even better” when his lawyer suggested putting forward a request for a rehabilitation order. 

Abela and Alsulayman pleaded not guilty and requested bail.

That request was objected to forcefully by the prosecuting officer who pointed out that a number of civilian witnesses, including the owner of the Kalkara site and the man who had been handed the stolen items, were still to testify. 

Moreover, the accused had an unruly character, landing in trouble on account of an “acute drug problem”, argued Inspector Gulia, pointing out the unkempt appearance of the trio seated at the dock. 

“Drugs have taken over their life. They sometimes even do not eat to buy drugs,” explained the officer. 

Alsulayman was currently sleeping at Abela’s place but actually had no fixed address, the court was told.

“Appearance is not all. It’s whether one should lose the right to liberty to go out in society,” countered their lawyer Martin Fenech. 

In light of the prosecution’s submissions the court expressed “strong doubts” as to whether the accused would be able to abide by court orders if their request for bail were to be upheld. 

The fear of future wrongdoing and tampering with evidence was real, said the court, turning down the request for bail and remanding the pair in custody.

The court then suspended the sitting and retired to chambers to decide upon the fate of the third accused, now seated alone at the dock. 

Magistrate Axiak declared Cachia guilty upon his own admission and condemned him to a three-year jail term, placing him under a three-year treatment order to help him overcome his drug problem.

The court also placed Cachia under a restraining order in favour of all three victims, ordering him to pay €400 to the victim of the Cospicua theft and €120 to the victim of the Ħamrun theft within two months. 

Inspectors Lydon Zammit, Stephen Gulia and Kurt Farrugia prosecuted. Lawyer Martin Fenech was legal aid counsel to Cachia and Alsulayman. Lawyer Ryan Ellul was counsel to Abela.