The suspect thief who allegedly fled with cash following a hold-up at a gaming outlet at San Ġwann on Wednesday has been arraigned.

Mark Anthony Bonnici, a 41-year-old Attard resident, was tracked down by the police following the armed robbery which took place at around 8.15pm at the shop on Naxxar Road, when the alleged thief entered the premises armed with a firearm, demanding money. 

The man then ran out with some €1,300 in cash.

He was arrested later in the Sliema area, his car the same one used in the hold up. 

Some of the stolen cash was found at his home, the police said. 

The suspect was arrested and charged with aggravated theft, holding the shop employee against her will, carrying a weapon while committing a crime against the person as well as relapsing. 

The accused pleaded not guilty. 

A request for bail was objected to by the prosecution on the basis of the fact that a civilian witness was still to testify, pointing out that the accused was familiar to this witness since he was a regular client at the shop. 

Defence lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri countered that if that witness had been a tourist visiting Malta, she would have been summoned to testify at the arraignment. 

This could give rise to an injustice since the granting of bail would depend on whether the victim resided in Malta or abroad, argued the lawyers, stressing that, in this case, the accused had a relatively clean criminal record, tainted only by VAT and traffic offences.

The man was going through a rough patch after breaking up with his partner and needed all possible help, even by assigning a probation officer to supervise him as a condition for bail. 

The court, presided over by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, declared that it would decree upon the request later in chambers. 

Inspectors Lydon Zammit and Stephen Gulia prosecuted.