Lawyer objects to thief's second arraignment in two days

A defence lawyer has objected to the arraignment of a woman, who had been arraigned yesterday on minor theft and fraud charges, saying that it would double her punishment.

The 42-year-old woman had been charged with stealing a cheque book, €930 in cash, using a false cheque for €729 to defraud a computer store, stealing a mobile phone and relapsing by Police Inspector Sandra Zammit yesterday.

Today the woman was in the dock once again, this time by different police inspectors, charged with stealing a handbag containing a mobile phone and €1,800 in cash from Naxxar, stealing another handbag in San Gwann, using forged signatures to cash cheques on two separate occasions and fraud, all of which allegedly took place since March this year.

Her lawyer, Peter Fenech, argued that the situation was unfair for his client since, as she had been arraigned separately, she would receive two separate sentences, thereby preventing her from benefiting from mitigations in punishment allowed for by the law.

As per normal procedure, the court ordered that the case be assigned according to law, but recommended that this case, for the reasons explained by the lawyer, be assigned to the same adjudicator as yesterday. 

No bail was requested and the woman was remanded in custody.

Inspectors Trevor Micallef and Luke Bonello prosecuted.