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CONTACT Adriana Farrugia or Erika Arrigo on 21382741 for sponsorship opportunities maltatoday NEWS MAT THEW AGIUS A man has been accused of stealing more than €70,000 worth of items from construction sites over a three-month spree starting in November. Inspectors Saviour Baldacchino, Jonathan Rans- ley and Colin Sheldon arraigned Joseph Polidano, 49, from Birżebbuġa before Magistrate Charmaine Galea this morning. Polidano was accused of 21 thefts which were carried out over the past three months in various localities across the islands. Inspector Ransley explained that the man would rob construction sites of appliances and tools. Baldacchino said a police raid on his garage dis- covered some of the stolen items. Polidano, despite having a criminal record stretching back to the 1990s, had managed to stay out of trouble with the law since then. The grey-haired accused discussed his case with his lawyers in court before the sitting began, later telling the court that he was unemployed. Lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia entered a plea of not guilty on the man's behalf. Bail was not requested by the defence. Debono said the man was "from a good family". This was echoed by the inspectors, who said the man had a "good background" and ran a restau- rant but then got involved with cocaine and his life went off the rails. Whilst praising the drug controls in the Corradi- no Correctional Facility, the lawyer said that "ide- ally a special institution exists where a person in similar cases could be locked up and immediately helped for drug addiction". The lawyers declared their client was not request- ing bail at this stage and said that "even though one must appreciate CCF's efforts to rehabilitate inmates, what would be ideal is an institution pos- sibly even of a reclusionary nature dedicated and specialised exclusively on treatment and rehabili- tation of drug offenders immediately upon admis- sion." The three inspectors said such an institution currently does not exist in malta The court pointed out that there would be help provided to the man in prison. The court recommended that the director of CCF take the necessary steps, remanding Polidano in custody. Man in €70,000 theft spree from construction sites to finance cocaine addiction Man accused of 21 thefts in three months went off the rails because of cocaine addiction