Two convicted of mugging man after he got off a bus in Floriana

Two men who mugged an individual soon after he got off a bus in Floriana in 2023 were placed on probation and given an opportunity to reform by a court on Tuesday.

Mutez Ferjani, 22, a Libyan national resident in Iklin, and Salah Sabar, 21, a Sudanese national living in Gżira, were accused of aggravated theft, causing grievous injuries, carrying a knife in public without a police licence, and holding the victim against his will. Ferjani was further charged with committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended sentence while Sabar was accused of committing a crime while he was conditionally discharged for two years and a separate aggravated theft of a mobile phone from another bus passenger on December 28, 2023.

The court heard that the mugging took place soon after the victim got off a bus and was walking to a subway.

One of the accused asked him for a cigarette and then the other one tried to take his bag. The victim tried to negotiate with the aggressors, offering them money instead. There was a physical altercation during which he suffered cuts to his legs, and the aggressors fled with his bag, which contained the victim's temporary residence permit, Tallinja card and a Revolut card, which the suspects tried to use at different places.

The police gathered CCTV footage at the places where the card was used and identified the suspects. 

Ferjani was arrested on December 28, 2023 and the police found the victim’s Tallinja card at his residence. Sabar was arrested the next day and the police found a mobile phone which was the subject of a separate theft in his possession.

In his statement to the police, Ferjani confessed to being involved in the theft. Describing Sabar as a friend, he explained that a third friend, another Libyan national, had encouraged them to leave Malta. Since both were unemployed and in need of money to travel, they tried to raise the funds through thefts.

Ferjani claimed that while in Floriana a Filippino national approached him and asked for a sexual favour. They assaulted him and stole his bag instead.

Ferjani denied that Sabar carried a knife or used one in the incident.

He said that inside the stolen bag were two Revolut cards, an ID card, a Tallinja card and a mobile phone, which they destroyed and threw away at the gardens near Bombi. They used the cash for alcohol and cigarettes. He also confirmed that they used the Revolut card and the Tallinja card to travel.

He also mentioned two other thefts that took place on December 18 and 20, 2023 in which they allegedly stole mobile phones.

Sabar also released a statement denying his involvement in the thefts of December 18 and 20, 2023. He confessed to his role in the December 16, 2023 mugging. He also mentioned a Filippino national approaching for sexual favours and admitted that he stole his bag contianing €100. He denied having a knife.

Asked about the mobile phone found in his possession, the man claimed he found it on the bus.

The court observed that the versions supplied by the mugging victim and the two accused did not tally in as far as who approached who and for what reason, and about the use of knife. However, it had been established that the victim needed medical treatment and stitches following the aggression.

The court found Sabar guilty of theft qualified by violence, value and time while Ferjani was found guilty of theft aggravated by value and time. On the injuries suffered by the victim, a medico-legal expert classified them as slight, noting that the wounds healed without leaving a trace or permanent damage.

The court established that only Sabar made use of a knife, adding, however that the prosecution did not prove this was done without a licence.

The court found the two accused guilty of holding the victim against his will. Ferjani was found guilty of committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended sentence handed down just a day before the alleged mugging.

Sabar was found guilty of stealing an iPhone 12 from an unsuspecting passenger and of committing a crime while conditionally discharged.

From the social inquiry report it emerged that the pair had a turbulent past and would benefit from making use of the help available in order to turn their lives around. The court noted that this was not their first time in court and took into account their age at the time of the crime, and said it would be better if they were given an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves instead of an effective prison term.

Ferjani and Sabar were therefore handed a three-year probation order. Sabar was handed a four-month prison term suspended for two years with regards to the case on which he had been conditionally discharged. A two-year treatment order was imposed. They were condemned to pay €1,050.91 in court expenses.

Magistrate Leonard Caruana presided. Lawyer Jacob Magri appeared for Ferjani while lawyer Nicholas Mifsud assisted Sabar.