Young mum accused of threatening, stealing cheques from grandmother

A young mother from Zabbar has been released on bail after she was charged with threatening and stealing from her grandmother.

Inspector Trevor Micallef arraigned the 21-year-old woman before magistrate Ian Farrugia today, accusing her of having threatened her grandmother and caused damage to her property. She was further accused of stealing three cheques from her elderly relative.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Yanika Vidal entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. Bail was requested.

The woman’s grandmother told the court that the accused has an 11-month-old baby. She suffers from ADHD and the older woman was afraid of her mood swings, she told the court. 

Magistrate Ian Farrugia was annoyed at the fact that he had presided over the woman’s previous cases in district sittings and had observed progress whilst she was living with the grandmother. All this had gone up in smoke now, he said.

He upheld the request for bail, ordering her to sign a bail book twice a week and provide a personal guarantee of €1,000. A protection order was issued for the grandmother. A social worker was also appointed to report on the accused and to make recommendations.

“Its simple: I’ve given you bail,” said the court. “You have the baby and an obligation to take care of your son. Don’t you dare approach your grandma…if you see her, cross the road and run away. If not we will take care of your baby and I will throw you in jail.”