A woman who was already jailed last August for pickpocketing has earned herself an extended stay in prison after being convicted of another two episodes of the same offence. 

Ginka Sandeva, a 34-year old Bulgarian national, who told the court she had no fixed address in Malta as well as no job, pleaded guilty to fresh charges brought against her after police investigations linked her to pickpocketing that had occurred in summer in Valletta. 

The first concerned the disappearance of a cash-filled wallet, also containing credit cards and personal documents, from a commercial outlet on Strait Street. 

Three days later, on August 1, the woman made off with a cash-filled envelope. In both cases, the amount stolen exceeded €232, but was under €2,329.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, declared her guilty and condemned her to a five-month effective jail term, after noting her early guilty plea and the fact that all the stolen money had been paid back in full.

Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna prosecuted.

Lawyer Shazoo Ghaznavi was defence counsel.