A man who stole a mobile phone on Thursday morning, merely days after being placed under probation has been jailed for six months. 

Francis Grech, a 55-year-old Valletta resident, was tracked down by police as the suspect behind the theft of an iPhone 6 from a Valletta restaurant on Thursday, some time after 8.30am. 

The man, whose criminal record reflected past brushes with the law, was linked to another theft of two cameras, which had gone missing from a retail store on a busy main street at Ħamrun on May 20 afternoon. 

Upon his arraignment on Friday, the suspect faced charges over both thefts and also for allegedly breaching the public peace during a separate rowdy incident that broke out on Republic Street on June 8. 

He was further charged with relapsing as well as committing such offences during a term of probation imposed  by a Magistrates’ Court on May 28 in separate criminal proceedings. 

The accused registered a guilty plea, while his lawyer, Noel Bianco, explained that the man needed help to overcome a drink problem. 

After hearing submissions on punishment by both parties, the court, presided over by magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace, declared the accused guilty upon his own admission.

Upon a request by the accused’s lawyer, the court also recommended that the man be detained at Mount Carmel Hospital’s forensic unit. 

Inspectors Priscilla Caruana Lee and Michael Vella prosecuted.