12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 FEBRUARY 2025
NEWS
Man granted bail after being charged with
pharmacy theft, stealing smartphone
A man was granted bail after be-
ing accused of committing three
separate thefts last month.
Francis Grech, a 59-year-old
from Valletta, pleaded not guilty
to all charges brought against him,
which also included a recidivism
charge.
A number of police reports had
been received. The first theft Grech
was accused of pertained to a
smartphone worth over €1,000 and
took place at the 'Fairyland' stalls at
King Edward Garden in Floriana.
Merely some days later, two other
thefts took place at different phar-
macies in Valletta.
Inspector Gabriel Micallef re-
called that Grech, who is known
to police, was finally arrested af-
ter various attempts to locate him
were made.
The validity of the arrest was not
contended.
During the sitting, defence lawyer
Noel Bianco informed the Court
that after departing prison after
a period of ten years, Grech had
found a water and electricity bill
amounting to some €16,000, not-
withstanding the fact that his res-
idence was not inhabited during
such period. At this juncture, the
accused stood up and told presid-
ing Magistrate Ann Marie Thake
that he had managed to pay the
sum of €7,000.
It was furthermore stated during
proceedings that Grech is unem-
ployed, has a drug problem and
was not adequately prepared to
re-integrate into society following
his return from prison.
A request for bail was made, with
the prosecution not objecting pro-
vided that a treatment order and
other bail conditions would be im-
posed.
The request for bail was accepted,
and a treatment order was issued.
Inspector Gabriel Micallef prose-
cuted with the assistance of lawyer
Miryea Mifsud from the Office of
the Attorney General.
Defence lawyer Noel Bianco ap-
peared for the accused.
THOMAS CILIA
tcilia@mediatoday.com.mt
