Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1275680
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 AUGUST 2020 NEWS ON Friday, from 8pm on- wards, Heritage Malta is in- viting the public to watch the spectacular Fireworks Festival from the advantageous points of the extensive bastions of Fort St Angelo. This event will also serve as an opportunity to explore this historical land- mark in Birgu. Admission prices are set at €3. Children under 11 years en- ter for free. For this event, Her- itage Malta's students and sen- iors' Passport are not accepted. Tickets will be available at the door. Snacks and drinks will be available for sale. The venue will open at 8pm with last admission at 11.30pm. The Fort will close at midnight. Heritage Malta is taking all protective and preventive measures to ensure safety and protection against COVID-19. Exclusive viewing of the Fireworks Festival Woman accused of robbing 77-year-old Man stands to lose €11,000 bail bond by repeatedly ignoring curfew MATTHEW AGIUS A man stands to lose €11,000 as well as his freedom after admit- ting to breaching his bail condi- tions when mobile phone local- isation data showed him to be outside, seven hours past curfew. Gzira resident Mohamed Ab- dulmajeb Abungab, 23, from Libya, was accused of breaching his bail conditions after police noticed that his mobile phone localisation showed that he was out of his home in breach of the court-imposed restrictions - for hours at a stretch. Abungab had been released from arrest in December 2019, a month after he was arrest- ed for burglary, threatening a police officer, possession of a flick knife, carrying it in public without a permit, driving a car without a driving licence and relapsing. His bail had been set at €11,000. But despite the hefty deter- rent, Inspector Joseph Xerri told magistrate Donatella Fren- do Dimech this afternoon that the man had been found in St Julians at 2 am on August 1st – well past his curfew. Further investigations, us- ing localisation data from his mobile phone showed that he would frequently breach his bail conditions. On one occasion, he was out past his curfew for seven hours at one go, said the inspector. Magistrate Frendo Dimech ex- plained that if pleading guilty it would be obligatory for her to seize his deposit. His lawyer, Noel Bianco, ar- gued that the man would occa- sionally share his mobile phone with others. He had gone out to celebrate Eid, however conced- ed the lawyer. Abungab told the court that he wished to admit the charges, despite his lawyer explaining to him that he would lose his de- posit and go to prison if he ad- mitted. The court said the law was clear: the breach of bail, for whatever the reason, meant that the confiscation of the depos- it was mandatory. The term of incarceration could be varied, between a minimum and a max- imum, but the deposit had to be seized, said the magistrate. "Unfortunately, we ask for bail without then taking care of it" observed the court. Abungab pleaded guilty. "I made a mistake and tried to make myself better. It can't be helped," he said. The court said it would sen- tence the man on Thursday. Bianco asked whether it was possible to have the man forfeit the guarantee but not revoke his release and requested bail pending sentencing, with the court refusing the latter request outright. "As the accused is ac- cused precisely of breaching bail conditions, the court is not convinced of his trustworthi- ness." A woman has been charged with robbing a 77-year-old lady in Paola last month. Tiziana Attard, 33, of Tarxien was arraigned before mag- istrate Donatella Frendo Dimech this morning, accused of having stolen a number of items and handling stolen goods. Attard was charged with committing aggravated theft of electronics, game consoles, audio equipment and other items from Paola on 14 July. The charges were aggravated by means and value of the objects stolen. She was also accused of steal- ing a handbag, which charge was aggravated by time, as well as with caus- ing voluntary damage to a car. One of Attard's victims was a 77-year-old woman, police inspector Paul Camilleri told the court. Attard's lawyer Victor Scerri asked the mag- istrate to allow him to approach the bench, but his request was refused. "I do everything in open court," said Magistrate Frendo Dimech. The ac- cused, who told the court that she was a snack bar employee, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defence requested bail, pointing out that the woman didn't know her victim, but Inspector Camilleri informed the court that there were several witnesses yet to testify, includ- ing the elderly woman. The court, in view of the serious nature of the offences and the fact that there were witnesses yet to testify, denied the woman bail.