Man denies stealing cash from employer's office and threatening him

A man has been charged with breaking into his employer’s office to steal cash and then threatening him over the phone.

Courier Emmanuel Sank, 44, from Birkirkara was arraigned under arrest before magistrate Rachel Montebello on Thursday, accused of aggravated theft, criminal damage, uttering insults and threats and misusing telecommunications equipment.

Police Inspector Francesca Calleja, prosecuting together with lawyer Nadia Ciappara from the Office of the Attorney General, told the court that a report had been filed at the Birkirkara police station on 4 September, by a man who had found signs of forced entry at his office, and €850 missing from a cash box.

Analysis of CCTV footage from the office showed the thief breaking down the door and taking the money, before trying to disconnect the CCTV system’s wiring.

Sank, who is an employee at the same company, was identified from the footage, said the inspector, adding that the police had also received a recording of a subsequent phone call made by the defendant to the victim in which threats had been made.

After obtaining a warrant for Sank’s arrest, police officers had knocked on the door of his residence, but he was not at home. Instead, the police had called Sank’s number and instructed him to go to the Hamrun police station, where he was subsequently arrested.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges. Lawyer Mark Busuttil, appointed as legal aid counsel for the arraignment, requested bail, which was subsequently granted, secured by a €500 deposit and a €3,000 personal guarantee.