Updated 2.15pm
Two men who admitted to staging an armed holdup at a Birkirkara betting shop on Wednesday were each handed a suspended sentence upon their arraignment on Saturday.
Michael Borg, a 42-year-old self-employed Gżira resident, and Lian Arena, a 32-year-old Attard resident, working as manager at the shop, were escorted to court after being tracked down by investigators as the two suspects who allegedly staged the robbery, making off with a bag of cash.
Security footage showed the employee leaving the store, on Valley Road, with the bag at around 8am and making his way to his car.
It was just then that a motorbike stopped nearby, the motorcyclist holding up the employee at knifepoint and demanding the cash, before speeding off with the money.
Police from the Violent Crimes Squad analysing footage from the crime scene soon concluded that the employee and the robber were actually working in tandem.
Both were arrested and following searches in several garages and private residences, the police found the bike used in the theft as well as some of the stolen money hidden in the bike.
They were taken to court on Saturday, pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy, aggravated theft as well as suppression, destruction or alteration of the traces of a crime.
When making submissions on punishment, lawyer Franco Debono argued that his client, the “robber”, had run into financial difficulties after his jet ski business went through a rough patch on account of COVID-19.
However, he had filed an early guilty plea, had fully cooperated with investigators and had returned most of the money, namely some €13,000 out of the €17,000 or so stolen.
Lawyer Joe Giglio, assisting the other accused, shared the same arguments, adding that Arena had only tried to help the other man and moreover, had a perfectly clean criminal record.
All these mitigating factors were to be taken into account by the Court when meting out punishment, the lawyers argued.
After hearing submissions also by the prosecution the Court, presided over by magistrate Doreen Clarke, condemned each of the co-accused to a two-year jail term suspended for four years, further ordering each to refund his half share of the outstanding balance of €4,000.
Inspectors Fabian Fleri, Mario Xiberras and Lydon Zammit prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb were counsel to Borg. Lawyers Joe Giglio and Sarah Mifsud were counsel to Arena.