Three teenagers have been granted bail after admitting they were involved in a mugging at a public garden outside the Mosta Mcast campus.

The trio, a 15-year-old and two 16-year-olds, were all charged on Wednesday before magistrate Charmaine Galea.

Prosecuting Inspector Stephen Gulia told court on Wednesday the police were alerted to the aggression at Ġnien L-Għarusa in Mosta on January 24 at around noon. 

A 22-year-old student was robbed of his laptop by two of the accused. The victim gave chase, caught up with them and wrestled the laptop out of their hands. 

The aggressors punched the student in the face and although he got back his laptop, the muggers fled the scene. 

The student filed a police report and was escorted to the health centre where his injuries were certified as grievous because they needed suturing. 

Police investigations kicked off and two of the suspects were identified through CCTV footage. 

Their faces were not masked. One of the muggers and another teen who acted as a lookout during the aggression were the first to be identified, explained Gulia. 

The third suspect was soon identified through other footage and information supplied by his alleged partners in crime. 

All three were arraigned on Wednesday afternoon.

The first to be arraigned were a 16-year-old unemployed Maltese national and a 15-year-old Syrian student - both from St Paul's Bay. They registered an admission to aggravated theft, grievous bodily harm, causing fear of violence, insulting, threatening and assaulting the victim as well as wilful breach of peace.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Charmaine Galea gave them time to reconsider, warning that the charges carried a possible five-year jail term. 

Punishment would be delivered by the juvenile court after a pre-sentencing court report is drawn up. A request for bail was not objected to by the prosecution as long as conditions reflected the "most serious nature of the crimes."

They were granted bail on condition they do not approach the victim and keep away from the Mosta MCAST campus, signing the bail book twice weekly, a curfew lasting from 11pm and 6am and under a personal guarantee of €5,000 each.

Magistrate Galea warned them of the consequences if they were to breach any of those conditions. The court issued a protection order in favour of the victim too.

The third teen - a 16-year-old Moroccan student also from St Paul's Bay - was charged with complicity in the mugging by acting as a lookout. 

He too pleaded guilty and was granted time to reconsider. He was also granted bail, with the imposed conditions prohibiting him from going to school since he is a student at the MCAST campus.

The court imposed a ban on the aggressors' names and a protection order in respect of the victim.

AG lawyer Joseph Camilleri Azarov together with Inspectors Stephen Gulia and Godwin Scerri prosecuted. 

Lawyers Jacob Magri and Arthur Azzopardi are counsel to one of the 16-year-olds.

Lawyers Jose' Herrera, Alex Scerri Herrera and Matthew Xuereb assisted the other 16-year-old.

A legal aid lawyer assisted the 15-year-old.