A drug addict who admitted stealing thousands from her parents' local bank account was granted bail pending the drawing up of a pre-sentencing report.

Joelle Galea, a 33-year old Sliema resident, was arraigned under arrest and charged with having in December stolen cash cards from her parents’ residence. She subsequently made use of her parents’ password and details to access their bank account, affecting withdrawals totalling some €60,000.

Other charges related to the possession of cannabis resin and ecstasy which investigators discovered inside the accused’s residence. The woman was further charged with being a relapser.

During Thursday’s arraignment, the prosecution exhibited a transparent plastic bag containing the drugs and related paraphernalia retrieved from the woman’s home.

A first request by defence lawyer Stephen Tonna Lowell for the preparation of a pre-sentencing report, was upheld by magistrate Charmaine Galea, who informed the accused that it was in her own interest to cooperate fully with the probation officer assigned to her.

A second request for bail was not objected to by the prosecution so long as the court imposed effective conditions.

The court granted bail against several conditions including a €500 deposit, a personal guarantee of €5,000 and an obligation to sign the bail book three times a week.

“You must follow the instructions of your probation officer. If you fail to do so, the outcome of the judgment will be different,” magistrate Galea warned as the woman standing before her nodded in understanding while her parents looked on from their seat in the courtroom.

Inspectors Mark A. Mercieca and Lara Butters prosecuted.