Moroccan woman jailed after burgling friends’ apartment

A Moroccan woman was last week jailed for three months after she admitted to breaking into her friends’ apartment while they were at work.

Meriam Abdussalam Mouaddea, 39, of San Gwann, pleaded guilty to stealing a bag containing some €240 in coins, to damaging the apartment’s front door and to committing a crime while out on bail.

The incident occurred on November 29, when the woman broke in to her friend’s apartment while they were at work. Sources close to the investigation said that earlier that day, the woman knocked at the door of the Sliema apartment and asked her friends for a glass of water.

While she was inside, she asked for her friend, a certain Mohammed, who was in America. The accused was then asked to leave and told they her friend will return to their apartment later in the evening.

However, informed sources explained, later that morning, one of the tenants, Abdu Rahman phoned his flatmate, Adam Ali Anwar and told him that he was going to check on the flat as he was suspicious.

Upon arriving at the apartment in St Ignatius Junction, Sliema, Rahman discovered that the apartment had been broken into. Inside, he caught the accused red handed and noticed that one of rooms had been rummaged through.

The woman tried to escape but this attempt was thwarted as Rahman and her two other flatmates held her until police arrived. Sources said that the police found the Moroccan woman sobbing on the bed, while inside her handbag, police found a bag of coins.

Standing before Magistrate Francesco Depasquele, the Moroccan woman admitted to the charged, and was jailed for three months for breaching bail conditions over another case.

She was also placed on a two-year supervision order.

Police Inspector Jason Sultana prosecuted while lawyer Joe Brincat appeared for the woman.