Two men admit to attempted burglary

Two men have been sentenced after they admitted in court to having attempted to break into a house in St Venera last Saturday.

Inspector Saviour Baldacchino charged Raymond Spiteri, 57 of Marsa and Constatino Gouder, 36 of Valletta, with attempted aggravated theft and damaging the front door of the house. Gouder alone was also charged with being in possession of tools that could be used for forcing entry without good reason and committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended sentence.

Gouder, assisted by lawyer Josette Sultana, told the court that he worked as both a fisherman and a cleaner, and admitted the charges, as did deliveryman Spiteri, who was assisted by lawyer Gianluca Cappitta.

In Spiteri's case, the court, after noting the man's early guilty plea and his clean criminal conduct, handed him a one-year prison sentence, suspended for four years. “Mr. Spiteri, if you make another mistake you will spend a year inside,” the court warned.

Gouder, however was jailed for a total of 30 months in view of his criminal record and previous conviction in December, the18 month suspended sentence for which was rendered active. At the behest of the defence, the court added a request to the prison authorities, asking them to do “what is necessary” to treat the man for his drug addiction.

“We have done what we can,” the magistrate observed, as Gouder was led away.