Two remanded in custody for scrapyard theft

Two men have been remanded in custody after they appeared in court in connection with the discovery of a van full of car batteries, allegedly stolen from a scrapyard.

Darren Brincat, 38, and Alex Mallia, 36, both from Qormi, were arraigned under arrest before magistrate Audrey Demicoli this morning.

Inspector Roderick Agius charged the men with the aggravated theft of €2,900-worth of car batteries, from which copper would then be extracted and sold. The two men are also accused of relapsing. Brincat alone is also accused of breaching a probation order.

Asked by the court what they would be pleading, Brincat replied that “it depends on what [I would be pleading guilty to],” while Mallia launched into an explanation of how it could not have been him, before being stopped by the court.

Lawyer Patrick Valentino asked the police inspector whether he had footage of the theft taking place from the scrapyard and whether the men had been identified. Inspector Agius replied that the footage was indistinct, but that the two men had been identified by other means.

The defence requested bail, but this was objected to by the prosecuting officer. He explained that one reason for this objection was that the principal witness in this case recently had a chance encounter with the accused which had led to an argument. Bail was also objected to, in Brincat's case, in order to safeguard his health. The police investigation had uncovered the fact that Brincat had been placed on probation in 2015, said the inspector, adding that the man's probation officer had expressed concern at the man's drug use.

Valentino countered this, arguing that the fact that the accused had not admitted to the crime during questioning did not mean that they had not cooperated with the police. With respect to Brincat, he said the man had a drug problem. “Not at all, I just do a little on the weekend” chimed in the accused, helpfully.

The court denied bail to both of the accused, who continued to protest their innocence to the the police inspector as they were being led away.