Probation for Siggiewi man who stole neighbour’s furniture

Keith Vassallo, 28 of Siggiewi, was placed under probation by a court after having returned all the furniture he stole from his neighbour's house, less then 24 hours before being placed under arrest.

Inspector Frank Sammut charged Vassallo with stealing and handling furniture items worth in excess of €15,000.

The police were investigating the theft of furniture from an apartment in Triq tal-Providenza, Siggiewi. Being the Santa Marija public holiday, none of the neighbours were there to notice any irregular activity.

But the police said they had received information that the accused had approached someone to supply him with a van to move the furniture. The anonymous informant also told investigators where the accused was keeping the stolen items.

The police raided a garage belonging to Vassallo, finding a bath that been reported stolen from the Siggiewi apartment. The accused later admitted to the theft of all the items, saying he used the common lift to move furniture from one apartment to the other.

Vassallo was granted 24 hours to return the stolen property, after which he was arraigned in court and also charged with relapsing.

The accused refused legal assistance and pleaded guilty to all charges. Magistrate Edwina Grima placed the accused under a three-year probationary period.