Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/221559
6 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2013 Week's jail suspended for two years over 'forged' bus ticket A Sudanese national is handed a suspended jail term after pleading guilty to using a forged Arriva bus ticket CHRIS MANGION AKUGBE Albangbee, 31, of Sudan but residing in Malta, was handed a one-week sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting to using a forged Arriva bus ticket. Defence lawyer Renzo Porsella Flores informed the court the accused was not the person who forged the ticket. "He simply used a ticket which had been tampered with", the lawyer said. Prosecuting inspector Victor Aquilina exhibited two Arriva bus Brass cable thief again in court A man convicted of stealing brass cables was again arraigned over the renewed theft of brass cable and other items from a GO Mobile store in Sa Maison. Mario Farrugia, 42 of Santa Venera, was arraigned over the theft of various items from a GO Mobile store in Sa Maison in July. The case came to light while the Police were investigating the theft of two brass propellers from the Customs' impound and brass cables owned by GO. Having identified the accused as a suspect, on 7 July 2013 the police searched his field in Birzebbugia. Scene of crime officers took the witness stand and exhibited items seized during the search. The exhibits included beer cans, shotgun cartridges, two switchboards and an acetylene set. The police also exhibited lengths of cable casing found in the possession of the accused. The casing is believed to have contained brass cable worth thousands of euros. A GO representative identified the two switchboards and the acetylene set as property of GO. The serial number on the acetylene set matched that on the inventory list of items kept at the GO stores in Sa Maison. In a previous sitting, GO had exhibited CCTV footage showing a hooded man making away from their stores. Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the accused. In January this year, Farrugia and an accomplice in the crime were given an 18-month jail term suspended for four years after they pleaded guilty to stealing a cable worth not more than €2,300. They had also pleaded guilty to handling stolen property. During the same case, Farrugia admitted to driving an unlicensed and uninsured car and breaching bail conditions. The court had fined Farrugia €2,500 and suspended his driving license for a year. Mario Farrugia is currently undergoing separate proceedings in which he is co-accused of theft of brass, handling stolen property, breaching bail and relapsing. tickets, which were duly destroyed by the court. Magistrate Francesco Depasquale condemned Akugbe Albangbee to a one-week imprisonment, suspended for two years. "The court is handing you a week's imprisonment but you will not be going to jail. Your offence is a minor crime however the court needs you to get the message that breaking the law comes at a price," the Magistrate explained. Inspector Victor Aquilina prosecuted while legal aid lawyer Renzo Porsella Flores appeared for the accused. COURT Relapsing thief imprisoned for six years BRIAN Pace, 35, of Paola, was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to stealing Rolex watches and relapsing. Magistrate Audrey Demicoli heard how on 10 November this year, Pace stole five Rolex watches from a Sliema apartment. The 81-year-old held that the watches were valued at over €2,329. The accused was also charged with handling stolen property, impersonating a police officer, holding the elderly woman against her will and breaching the terms of a conditional discharge. Considering the seriousness of the crimes and the fact that the accused is a relapser, the Court argued there is no alternative but an effective jail term. Magistrate Audrey Demicoli imprisoned Pace for six years. Inspectors Carlos Cordina and Sandro Millo prosecuted. Three-year jail term over a string of thefts NOEL Farrugia, 32 of Gzira, was handed a three-year imprisonment after being found guilty of thefts, threatening people and damaging properties belonging to his victims. Prosecuting officer Sandra Zammit told the court that Farrugia was charged with three thefts, damaging private property, injuring two people and threatening others. All crimes were committed on 14 April 2011, in Qormi. At around 5:30am the accused stole a handbag from Teresa Carmela Cassar and attempted to steal that of Maria Edwards. In the same morning he also damaged a vehicle belonging to Jason Vella. He was also charged with threatening and injuring 75-year-old Teresa Carmela Cassar and Maria Edwards and relapsing. Taking the witness stand, victim Jason Vella said he saw the accused trying to open his vehicle and immediately called the police. At the same time, Farrugia was seen putting on a crash helmet and assault Maria Edwards. Investigations also revealed that the accused and his partner Miriam Azzopardi were at that time guests of a certain Francis Degiorgio. At around 7am Degiorgio left his residence but when he returned at 11:30am, his residence in Pinto Street had been ransacked and a DVD had gone missing. The victim told officers he suspected in the accused. Investigators searched for Farrugia but his mother informed them he was not at home. However the following morning, the accused's mother called the police telling them her son was at home but that he had ingested some pills and needed to be taken to hospital. Magistrate Doreen Clarke found the accused Noel Farrugia guilty and imprisoned him for three years. The court seized €5,500 in deposit and personal guarantee, which the accused had deposited as bail in separate proceedings. Syrian fined for damaging bicycle KHALED Alshlaam Almrabea, 31, of Syria and residing at Marsa, was handed a suspended sentence and fined €1,000. On 29 March 2012, at around 12:40pm, off-duty police officer Charles Pace was cycling down from Hal Far to Birzebbugia, when a vehicle sped out of a side road next to ETC. After being almost ran over, Pace shouted at the driver asking if he had not seen him cycle past. The Syrian national was behind the wheel of the car. Upon hearing the comment, the Syrian spun the car around in a Uturn, got out of the car and walked up to the cyclist seeking revenge. Pace identified himself as a police officer, however this angered Almrabea even more. The accused kicked Pace's bicycle to the ground, while insulting and threatening the victim. The bicycle frame was cracked and could not be repaired. The officer said the value of his bicycle, a Canondale Taurin Trial SL, was of €2,900. Taking the witness stand, the accused Khaled Alshlaam Almrabea claimed he was driving his vehicle when the cyclist knocked on his window and insulted him. The Syrian drove after the cyclist and asking if he knew him, however the man simply told him he was a police officer. "He did not show me any identification and in his anger he kicked his own bicycle and scratched my bumper. My panel beater estimated the damage to be around €100," the accused said. Magistrate Neville Camilleri held that the court had witnessed the behaviour of both the accused and the alleged victim while they were giving evidence. Based on this, the court found Almrabea guilty of damaging Pace's property but acquitted him of threatening and assaulting the officer, breaching public peace and swearing in public. The Syrian was handed a six-month jail term suspended for a year, and fined €1000. The court also issued a protection order over Charles Pace against a personal guarantee of a further €1,000 by the accused. Inspector Priscilla Caruana prosecuted. Drug addict pleads guilty to seven thefts IRAQI national Mohammed Abdulelalim Abdulelhafir, 38 and currently recovered at Mount Carmel Hospital, was imprisoned for three years after pleading guilty to a series of snatch and grabs. During the months of October and November the accused committed 11 snatch-and-grabs in various locations. On 29 October, while hearing mass in the church of San Gorg Preca in Hamrun, he snatched a necklace from 73-year-old Agnes Monseigneur. On 20 November, in Zurrieq, the accused held 77year-old Paola Abela against her will and stole her gold necklace and pendant. The Iraqi thief also stole necklaces and other jewelry from Miriam Facciol, Maria Cutajar, Carmela Mifsud, Grazia Scerri and Joanne Falzon. The thefts happend in Fgura, Bormal, Zejtun, Birgu and Tarxien. His attempted theft from Giacinta Borg in Fgura failed when the woman resisted her aggressor. Abdulelhafir was also charged with carrying a firearm or a replica of a firearm, and carrying an unlicensed knife. All thefts were committed in order to finance the man's drug habit. Dr Renzo Porsella Flores, appearing for the accused, explained to the court how the Iraqi is receiving medical treatment at Mount Carmel to help him kick his drug habit. "He is only allowed out of the hospital on the signature of his wife," the lawyer said. Mohammed Abdulelhafir apologised to his victims. Magistrate Francesco Depasquale noted the accused's clean police record and while understanding the circumstances relating to the Iraqi's drug problem, he condemned the man's targeting of vulnerable people. The court imprisoned Abdulelhafir for three years and recommended the prison authorities that the man is kept at the Forensic Section, at Mount Carmel Hospital and receives all necessary help to quit his drug problems. Inspectors Joseph Mercieca and Fabian Fleuri prosecuted while legal aid lawyer Renzo Porsella Flores appeared for the accused.