A man who held up an attendant at a Paola store at knifepoint three years ago, making off with €300 in cash, was jailed for four years after the court noted that he had wasted several chances to turn his life around. 

Shamison Stafrace, a 25-year-old Cospicua resident, had landed in fresh trouble through his involvement in the armed holdup at the convenience store one evening in April 2019, along with two others, one of whom drove the getaway car. 

CCTV footage and other evidence from the crime scene, including DNA samples lifted from a blue jacket, later matched to the accused, helped police track down the suspects.

Stafrace pleaded not guilty to aggravated theft, holding the shop staff and customers against their will, slightly injuring one of them, breaching a suspended sentence as well as relapsing. 

Numerous witnesses testified in the proceedings, including the shop attendant who recounted how she had been serving customers at around 8.30pm when a man, with a face covering and wearing a blue hoodie, headed straight up to the counter and demanded money.

“Give me the money,” he rapped, holding a penknife in his hand. 

The woman stood her ground and as he snatched the cash drawer, she grabbed his hoodie, noticing a tattoo on his neck. 

As she tussled with the thief, a customer was slightly injured with the knife wielded by the aggressor. 

Meanwhile, the second robber, standing nearby keeping a lookout, suddenly gave a croissant display a shove, causing it to topple over. 

The two men fled out of the shop, in the direction of the nearby shipyard. 

The shop attendant later recognised the blue jacket shown to her by police. 

Police officers, probation officers and eyewitnesses were among those who testified in the proceedings. 

A prisons officer told the court that the accused was assigned cleaning and maintenance duties while in jail and, save for some minor trouble in his early days in custody, had caused no further problems and performed his tasks “100%”.

The court, presided over by magistrate Joseph Mifsud, declared that it had pondered at length upon the case before delivering judgment. 

This had not been the accused’s first brush with the law. 

Indeed, he had faced difficulties in life and had a drug problem, but it seemed that he had not seized the several opportunities granted to turn his life around.

In fact, he had even been granted bail to allow him to enter rehab, but subsequently quit, observed the court.

It was not easy to break free of drugs, remarked Mifsud. 

And although there were various entities like Sedqa, Caritas and Oasi, which offered help, it was ultimately the individual who had to make the effort. 

In this case, the court was not convinced that the accused was taking this seriously. 

Although the amount stolen was not much, the accused had terrified his victims, including a shopper who just happened to be there at the time of the holdup. 

When all was considered, the court concluded that an effective jail term was merited since it had to ensure not only that justice is done but also that society is protected.

The accused was jailed four years and ordered to reimburse the shop owner the €300 stolen. 

The court also ordered him to pay  €776.39 in court expert expenses. 

Inspectors Fabian Fleri, Lydon Zammit and Oriana Spiteri prosecuted.