Two charged over hold-ups in Sliema and San Ġwann

Two men have pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges in connection with three armed robberies that took place earlier this week.

Antoine Agius, 42, a Maltese national and Ans Algheziwi, a 37-year-old Libyan national living in Sliema, are facing a total of 18 charges in connection with hold-ups in Sliema and San Ġwann on Wednesday.

Police inspector Lydon Zammit told the court that on July 2, at about 1am, police were informed about an armed robbery from a convenience shop in Sliema.

Two men, who arrived in a red vehicle, bare-chested but with their faces covered, allegedly stole an undisclosed amount of cash and other objects, including cigarettes.

The police then received two other reports; one about a Bolt driver allegedly threatened by an assailant who placed a weapon against his neck and demanded money at around 10am that day.

The driver refused and the assailant made off with a bag containing around €500.

An hour later, the police received another report concerning an armed robbery from a pharmacy in San Ġwann, where two men entered bare-chested and demanded money.

A police investigation showed the perpetrators were the same in each incident. They had also used the same vehicle, stolen on July 1 from a residence on Triq Ħ’Attard in Qormi.

Other items were reported stolen from the same residence, including a motorcyle and money. The motorcycle was only taken out of the garage, however, as the perpetrator did not manage to escape with it.

Agius, who is homeless, was arrested at 12pm after he was stopped by the police in the stolen vehicle, in which police found evidence pertaining to the alleged crimes.

Algheziwi was arrested half an hour later at his residence where police found more evidence related to the armed robberies.

On the way to police headquarters Algheziwi fell ill and was taken to Mater Dei Hospital, where he spent his first 24 hours before interrogation. He was then discharged and deemed fit for questioning.

The pair were arraigned on Friday morning.

Agius and Algheziwi were charged with three counts of theft aggravated by violence. They were accused of holding the shop assistants, pharmacists and taxi driver against their will.

They were also accused of carrying a weapon during the commission of the crime. In the case of the armed robbery from the San Ġwann pharmacy, they were also accused of damaging third party property.

In addition to these charges, the pair were also accused of driving a car without a licence or insurance cover between July 1 and 2.

Algheziwi alone was accused of having stolen the car, motorcycle and cash from the Qormi property and of causing willful damage to third party property. He was also charged with breaching a set of bail conditions and recidivism.

Agius alone was accused of handling stolen property, breaching a set of bail conditions imposed on him in 2018, as well as recidivism.

Both denied the charges.

In court, it transpired that Agius had just been discharged from Mount Carmel days before the alleged crime and ended up homeless.

Bail was not requested. However, both lawyers requested the court recommend prison authorities to assess whether the accused men should be held at the forensic unit instead of the Paola facility.

Magistrate Monica Vella presided.

AG lawyer Martina Calleja prosecuted assisted by police inspectors Lydon Zammit, Keith Rizzo and Dylan Pace.

Lawyer Matthew Xuereb assisted Agius.

Legal aid lawyer Yanica Barbara Sant assisted Algheziwi.