Would-be security guards charged with theft

Two young would-be security guards are facing an uncertain future after they were charged with burglary.

Andre Bugeja, 19, and Massimo Fasanelli ,18, both of Sliema were arraigned before magistrate Gabriella Vella this morning, accused of breaking into a house in Sliema last September and stealing €1,500 in cash.

Police inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca explained to the court that the youths were identified from CCTV and forensic evidence and later arrested.

“I noticed two people loitering on the street for a number of hours outside the residence that was broken into,” he said. He recognized Bugeja from the footage and ordered his arrest.

Fasanelli was arrested for failing to turn up for a sitting yesterday and was sent for. The police inspector, who had not seen him in person before, recognized him from the CCTV footage as the second person. He was also arrested.

Bugeja was additionally charged with breaching bail conditions that he was handed the previous December.

Fasanelli was also charged with recidivism, having a number of previous convictions.

The youths raised eyebrows when they told the court that they were due to start working as security guards soon and pleaded not guilty.

Lawyer Leontine Calleja told the court that it would be in their interest and that of society that the men be allowed to continue to work.

Both accused live with their parents, she said. “They know the repercussions of breaching bail.”

But the prosecution pointed out that both have a number of pending cases and Bugeja had breached bail conditions imposed by the same magistrate.

Inspector Mercieca objected to bail due to the risk of them approaching witnesses.

“They will be security guards at a shopping complex and I don’t think they should be there in view of their theft charges”.

A probation officer testified that Fasanelli had been in her care since age 14. He had been under supervision and probation orders and was awaiting sentence for a breach of one probation order. He had been jailed for this in the past, she said, and was referred to the adolescents day program to address his drug problems.

She reported Fasanelli to the police for failing to keep his appointments with officials. The only progress he made was when he was in prison, she said, as when he left, after a period of good behaviour, he relapsed.

The probation officer said she was “surprised that Fasanelli had been selected for employment and was starting a job as he had shown no interest in working.”

The court ruled that in the case of Bugeja, bail could not be granted due to the grave nature of the charges and the possibility of tampering with evidence, as it appears that he knew the alleged victims.

Neither did the court grant bail to Fasanelli for the same reasons and in view of the lack of trustworthiness of the accused, which it said was “very clear at this stage.”