A Valletta jeweller was yesterday charged with buying some €330,000 in precious items stolen from an antiques shop not far from his outlet.

The accused switched off the CCTV cameras, the witness said

The 53-year-old businessman, who cannot be named by court order issued after the defence lawyer claimed it would damage his client’s business, faced the thief who named him as the person he had sold the stolen items to.

At times chuckling and shaking his head, the accused sat in the dock as Glen Debattista, 52, said that together with his son Ryan, 21, and their friend Carmel Hartley, 40, they had stolen the jewellery from Pjazza Antiques in South Street in August 2011.

Mr Debattista and Mr Hartley were jailed for three years each and the youngest member of the gang got a two-year jail term, suspended for four years, and a €500 fine.

In his testimony, Mr Debattista said that while his son and friend broke into the shop from an adjoining property, he stood outside until they were ready and then went back to his home in Santa Venera to sort through the stolen goods.

They shared the items out equally and according to value, which was marked on the price tags. His share and that of his son were placed in a Lidl shopping bag.

Mr Debattista said he then went to a jewellery shop in Birkirkara, also belonging to the accused, where he spoke to the defendant and used a term in Maltese implying they were stolen.

The accused switched off the CCTV cameras, the witness said.

He said they went upstairs to the office where the items were weighed. Mr Debattista said he was given €50 banknotes – for a total of about €20,000 – and felt “robbed” by the defendant because it was a pittance considering what the items were actually worth.

For example, the witness said, he received €5,000 for a diamond ring worth about €30,000.

He went to the shop four to five times to get the best price and then took his son’s lot in one go.

The owner of the shop that was burgled, Alfred Borg, said he had been in the business for about 38 years and had purchased items from abroad and from Malta.

Mr Borg explained that as no insurance agency would cover his stock, he routinely photographed all the items. Images of the stolen items were shown in court.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona decreed there were sufficient reasons to place the accused under a bill of indictment.