A homeless man, who allegedly robbed an octogenarian of thousands of euros after the elderly man welcomed him into his home, has been denied bail.

Joseph Sciberras, 46,  was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to reducing his host’s bank savings to just €5. 

The man, who works at a bakery, had been offered shelter by the elderly Żabbar resident after being kicked out of his family home and roaming from one address to another. 

He landed under police suspicion when his host, aged “well over 80", turned up at the Żabbar police station to report suspected theft. The old man had tried, in vain, to withdraw money from an HSBC ATM.

Thinking that there was something wrong with the card, he checked matters with the bank, only to be told that many withdrawals had been effected from his account. 

Further checks confirmed that his funds ranging between €4,000 and €5,000, had been reduced to €5. 

Investigations revealed that most of the withdrawals had been made at the BOV ATM at Mediatrix Place, Żabbar.

Thousands withdrawn within three weeks

Amounts of €100, €150 or €250 were withdrawn regularly between January 27 and February 18, explained prosecuting Inspector Darren Buhagiar, who charged Sciberras in court on Tuesday afternoon.

When police asked the alleged victim about his bank card, the man said that he had lost it. 

He said he was hosting a homeless man who, however, had denied taking the card. The homeless man had said his host had handed over his card. 

When questioned by police, Sciberras insisted that the withdrawals had been made with the alleged victim’s consent. 

Upon arraignment, the accused pleaded not guilty to aggravated theft to the detriment of a vulnerable victim. 

A request for bail was objected to by the prosecution who pointed out that the accused had been kicked out by his mother after quarrelling with his brother who suspected that the accused had taken his money. 

Sciberras then changed his address three times. 

The man had a drug and alcohol problem as well as a gambling habit, explained the prosecution.

Moreover, the accused had abused the generosity of the victim who had offered him a place to live, argued prosecuting Inspector Kurt Farrugia. 

Although the accused has since moved in with someone else, he still lived and worked close to the elderly man’s residence and therefore there was a real risk of tampering with evidence. 

“The old man gave him a home but the accused exploited him, squandering his monies and abusing his genuineness,” argued Farrugia.

The man’s legal aid lawyer, Martin Farrugia, rebutted that the prosecution’s comments about the unrelated family episode and his alleged lack of a fixed address were “capricious.”

Bank data was preserved and the accused, still presumed innocent, could do nothing to alter those records. 

After hearing submissions the court, presided by magistrate Elaine Mercieca, denied bail in view of the gravity of the crime and the fact that civilian witnesses, including the alleged victim who was a vulnerable person because of his age, were still to testify.