A man facing charges over a string of thefts was remanded in custody upon his arraignment which followed his arrest after the police were alerted to a late-night rooftop run. 

Jonathan Zammit, a 36-year-old Mosta resident was charged over a string of thefts, some of which dated back to November. 

Zammit, who told the court he did aluminium works, was charged with stealing a Samsung mobile phone from the health centre at his hometown on November 25. Other charges included stealing a Romeo Motors motorbike from Mosta in January, handling stolen property and driving without a licence.

In March, he also allegedly stole diesel from five vehicles belonging to a farming company and willfully damaged third party property.

On that occasion, the suspect also allegedly stole a watch and stereo.

Other charges related to the theft of tools between February 20 and March 22, as well as misappropriation.

The accused’s personal lawyer could not attend the arraignment because of other work and, therefore, the court-appointed legal aid lawyer Mario Caruana to assist the suspect.

Prosecuting Inspector Roderick Attard explained that, on Monday, Mosta police got a call at around 3am alerting them to the presence of ‘people’ who were allegedly running across rooftops.

The suspect, who was targeted by a search and arrest warrant, was subsequently arrested. 

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A request for bail was objected to in view of the fear of tampering with evidence, given that civilian witnesses are still to testify. 

The man also had an unruly character as evidenced by his criminal record, added inspector Attard. 

The prosecution also feared that, if granted bail, the accused might commit further wrongdoing. 

However, defence lawyer Mario Caruana rebutted that the accused was a father-to-be who had a job and a fixed residence.

The man’s six-month pregnant partner was seated behind the accused.

If granted bail under stringent circumstances, the accused should not run into further trouble, the lawyer continued.

However, after hearing submissions, the court, presided over by magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, turned down the request in view of the fear of tampering with evidence and the fact that, at this stage, the accused did not offer the necessary guarantees at law.

The man was escorted away, followed by his tearful partner.