Four charged after spate of muggings in Floriana

Four men have been charged with a string of violent muggings in Floriana.

Before magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras this morning, William Kelly Harrison 27 from America, homeless and unemployed, Deko Susanto, 30, from Indonesia, a homeless interior decorator, Priviledge Mupinhidszi, 33, also homeless from Zimbabwe and Ahmed Ali Salah Lawan, 26 from Libya, residing in Zurrieq were charged with carrying out the hold-ups. All four men pleaded not guilty.

Inspector Lydon Zammit, prosecuting together with inspector Mario Xiberras, explained that several people had made reports of being robbed by a group of men, at around the same time, to the police. Three men were arrested and it emerged that the night before another theft on a foreigner took place by the same people. During interrogation a fourth person was identified, Deko Susanto, That night a report of an elderly person being accosted by 3 people before the arrests was received by the police and it emerged that it was the same people.

The majority of the muggings took place in Jubilee Grove, Floriana.

Bail was not requested as the men had no fixed address, their lawyers stressing that this was not to be construed as an admission of any sort.

Lawyers Mark Mifsud Cutajar, Ezekiel Psaila, Dunstan Camilleri and Josette Sultana appeared for the accused.