A man arraigned over an alleged weeklong theft spree in Gżira and Sliema was remanded in custody mainly for fear that he might commit another crime if released from preventive arrest. 

Ludvic Camilleri, a 44-year-old Qawra resident, was escorted to court on Friday afternoon after being tracked down by the police at a hotel where he had been staying for the past couple of weeks.

He was charged over four separate instances of theft and two attempted thefts committed over a span of eight days, starting on February 10.

He was also charged with six separate instances of wilful damage to third party property as well as breaching a probation order issued in 2018.

In the first theft, a Gżira mini-market was targeted in the early hours of the morning.

Two days later, a supermarket in the same locality was robbed at around 3am. 

On February 16, a Sliema store suffered the same fate and the very next day, the same store was the target of another theft which, however, ended up in a botched attempt. 

Two Gżira coffee shops were targeted over two days, the last resulting in a failed attempt.

Investigations led to the suspect thief who was tracked down and arrested at the hotel where he had been staying.

This emerged from submissions made by prosecuting inspector Jonathan Ransley when objecting to a request for bail by the man’s lawyer.

The main objection stemmed from fear that, if granted bail, the accused would commit other thefts, given his high dependency on crack cocaine, Inspector Ransley said. 

Unless the man cuts down on his dependency, he will resume his criminal ways, the officer argued, noting further that the address supplied by the accused was his parents’ home address. 

Since the man had moved out and spent the past fortnight at a hotel, it would prove difficult for police to track him down if he were to be granted bail, he added. 

Defence lawyer Josette Sultana, as legal aid counsel, countered that mere suspicion was not enough to deny bail and, moreover, the accused could be ordered to stay at his family address as a condition for bail. 

However, in light of the prosecution’s objections, the court, presided over by magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo, turned down the request, urging the police to summon civilian witnesses as soon as possible.