Man remanded in custody for breaking into and stealing from eight parked cars in two months

A construction worker has been remanded in custody on charges of breaking into and stealing from eight parked cars in a two-month crime spree.

44 year-old Ilia Tusishvili, from Georgia, was in court on Thursday, accused of damaging and stealing from eight vehicles that had been parked in Triq Jean de la Vallette in St. Paul’s Bay between 7pm and  10pm on February 2. 

Tusishvili pleaded not guilty to aggravated theft and criminal damage charges. 

Police Inspector Martin Vella, prosecuting together with Inspector Francesco Mizzi and lawyer Alessia Schembri from the Office of the Attorney General,  told magistrate Rachel Montebello the police had received multiple reports of thefts from cars in January and February. 
Noting a common modus operandi, the police had compared reports and CCTV footage of similar reported crimes in St Paul’s Bay, Gzira, St Julian’s, Ta Xbiex and Msida. The value of the items that had been stolen from each individual vehicle did not exceed €2,329.37, the court was told.

Suspecting Tusishvili to be the person responsible, the police had arrested him on Wednesday after obtaining a warrant from the duty magistrate.

When arraigned In court on Thursday, Tusishvili pleaded not guilty to the charges. Lawyer Noel Bianco, assisting the defendant, told the court that the defence was not requesting bail at this stage. 

The court upheld a request by the lawyer’s request that it recommend the defendant be assessed by the authorities while in detention, to identify any problems which could start to be addressed, while waiting for the case to be assigned to a magistrate.