Pickpockets plead guilty to theft charges

Two Romanian pickpockets have admitted to charges of theft in separate arraignments this morning.

Andrei Dinica, 47 and Razvan Aurel Stefan, 38, were hauled before magistrate Astrid May Grima by Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna after a long police investigation into the crimes.

Dinica was charged with having stolen a woman’s wallet containing €175 and bank cards from a bus passenger on 29 December last year. He had then proceeded to withdraw €200 from the victim’s account the same day.

Stefan was charged with stealing another woman’s wallet on New Year’s Eve. The stolen wallet contained cash and credit cards which were then used to withdraw what was described as a considerable sum of money. He was also accused of misuse of passcodes.

Stefan was further charged with committing a string of similar thefts in different localities.

Both men pleaded guilty, with Dinica being ordered to repay the victim and handed a sentence of 6 months, suspended for a year. Stefan will be sentenced on Thursday.

Lawyer Lennox Vella appeared for both men.