Hawker denies stealing watches from stationery

A man has been remanded in custody after he was charged with stealing watches from a stationery in Paola.

Inspector Paul Camilleri arraigned 35-year-old hawker, Aaron Ritchie before magistrate Rachel Montebello this afternoon, accusing him of the theft of five Casio watches on 29 October.

The police had identified the accused from eyewitness descriptions and CCTV footage and arrested Ritchie yesterday.

The accused, assisted by lawyer Dustin Camilleri, was charged with theft aggravated by means and value and with breaching two sets of bail conditions, handed to him in May and October this year. Ritchie was also accused of recidivism.

He denied the charges, entering a not guilty plea in court today.

His lawyer requested bail, but this was objected to by the prosecution who argued that he had just been granted bail 15 days ago and would possibly attempt to tamper with evidence.

Camilleri argued that the accused was presumed innocent and insisted that he “had scrupulously obeyed his bail conditions.” The court could strike the right balance between society and accused’s rights with strict conditions of bail, argued the lawyer, adding that his client had limited means to pay for any bail deposit.

But the court, after hearing arguments by both defence and prosecution, denied bail due to the nature of the charges and having seen the accused’s criminal record, deeming him not trustworthy.