A thief who wore a bed sheet over his head as he robbed a Naxxar convenience store ended up being identified as one of its regular customers when it slipped off his head. 

Teimuraz Datashvili caused €450 worth of damage when he broke into a  Convenience Store shop in Naxxar at 4am on October 7, 2018 to steal €200 in cash and €250 worth of mobile phone top-up cards.

CCTV footage showed the thief dressed all in black and wearing a bed sheet over his head as he robbed the store. The sheet fell off as he was leaving, making his face visible. Employees recognised him as Mr Datashvili, one of the store’s regular customers.

Police eventually tracked him down as he was riding a bus. 

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud said that there was “no doubt” Mr Datashvili had been the thief. He found him guilty, jailed him for 18 months and ordered him to pay €1,049 to the shop owner - the amount stolen together with the cost of fixing damage to the store. 

The magistrate also ordered the police to investigate Mr Datashvili’s wife on the suspicion of false testimony. Marianna Pekurashvili had told police that she was separated from her husband and that the man seen wearing a bedsheet in CCTV footage had knocked on her door and asked for a glass of water. 

Once he serves his jail term, Mr Datashvili will be deported back to his native Georgia. 

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