Recidivist thief refused bail

A man who was ordered to go to drug rehab after being convicted of burglary last year, has been charged with another burglary this morning.

Hapless thief Claudio Mallia, 34, from Valletta, was arrested on suspicion of burglary at around 1:30am yesterday morning at City Gate by police, who had noticed a broken shutter on a nearby kiosk.

Inspector Priscilla Caruana Lee told duty magistrate Neville Camilleri that the accused was carrying €41 in small change and a fizzy drink at the time of his arrest.

Lawyer Christopher Chircop was appointed legal aid to the accused, who had told the court that he had not been gainfully employed for “around 2 or 3 years.”

Dr. Chircop entered a plea of not guilty on the accused's behalf and requested bail. Inspector Caruana Lee objected to this request, pointing out that the accused was a recidivist, already under probation order. She explained that Mallia had also been caught red handed in other, similar incidents which were currently being investigated.

Chircop argued there was no risk of the accused tampering with evidence as the witnesses in this case were police officers. “The crime is what it is. The accused may be interrogated about the other cases, this will not be affected by the accused being on bail.” Bail is a right, argued the lawyer, asking the court to take into consideration the accused's lack of income in fixing bail conditions.

The court, taking into account the accused's criminal record did not uphold the bail request, saying that it was not satisfied at this stage that the accused would be able to adhere to the conditions it imposed.