Youths, aged 18 and 15 admit to driving car they stole

Two young men have been released on bail pending the completion of a pre-sentencing report after they admitted to stealing a car which one of them subsequently drove without a licence.

Ibrahim Alfreh, 18, living in Santa Venera and a 15-year-old fellow Syrian who resides in Żebbug appeared in court before magistrate Nadine Lia on Tuesday, accused of theft, aggravated by time and nature of the thing stolen.

Alfreh was further accused of driving the stolen car without a licence or insurance cover and with carrying a knife in public without a police permit.

The pair had been arrested in Triq il-Kbira San Ġużepp in Santa Venera last Sunday at around 11:20pm, when a police patrol stopped the Volkswagen Polo they were driving as its headlights were off. Officers became suspicious when they approached the vehicle and saw the two young men inside.

They were arrested when the police discovered that Alfreh, who was behind the wheel of the car, did not have a driving licence, much less the insurance cover required by law.

When the officers radioed in the car’s number plates, they were informed that the vehicle had previously been reported as stolen.

They pleaded guilty to the charges. Lawyers Yanika Bugeja and Luke Valletta, representing the defendants as legal aid, requested a pre-sentencing report be commissioned.

The court upheld that request, as it did the subsequent request for bail, which was granted against a personal guarantee of €4,500 each. Alfreh was also required to pay a €500 bail deposit.