A homeless man who on Monday admitted in court to stealing nine tins of coffee from a Zejtun supermarket, was handed a suspended sentence as “one last chance” to get his life back on track.

The shoplifting took place on Sunday morning and was noticed by supermarket staff, who gave a description of the suspect to the police.   

Police tracked down Kevin Borg, 42, who was taking shelter in the common area of an apartment block.

He ended up without a place to live in following a family argument, the court was told when Borg was arraigned on Monday.

He was charged with simple theft of the Nescafe' coffee tins totalling some €35 in value.

He was further charged with committing the offence during a term of probation and also with being a recidivist.

Borg pleaded guilty after consulting his lawyer who, when making submissions on punishment, highlighted the low value of the theft and the fact that the items had been retrieved.

After being informed that Borg had a drug problem and after checking his criminal record, Magistrate Noel Bartolo told him that the court had previously offered a helping hand by way of probation and treatment orders.

This time the court was giving him “one last chance” by way of a suspended sentence.

“The minute you breach the law again, this punishment will take effect,” warned the magistrate, handing down a 6-month jail term suspended for two years.

“Everyone is trying to help you. Now try to help yourself,” came his lawyer’s final word of advice.

Inspector Jonathan Cassar prosecuted.

Lawyer Martin Fenech was legal aid counsel.