Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/544403
8 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 JULY 2015 News !* !.ŏ"+.ŏ+*/0.10%+*ŏ+.'/Čŏ1,,(5Čŏ */0((0%+*ŏĒŏ+))%//%+*%*#ŏ+"ŏāŏ //!*#!.ŏ%"0ŏ0ŏ(+'ŏĆČŏ++.ŏČŏ%/.ŏ!3øČŏ*ŏ3**ŏ1/%*#ŏ*2%.+*ġ )!*0((5ŏ.%!* (5ŏ%*0ċŏĨ1.ŏ!"čŏŏąĥĂĀāĆĩ û!./ŏ(+/!ŏ+*ŏāā0$ŏ1#1/0ŏĂĀāĆŏ0ŏāĀċĀĀ)ċ +.ŏ)+.!ŏ%*"+.)0%+*ŏ2%/%0ŏ333ċ$+1/%*#10$+.%05ċ#+2ċ)0 ŏ ŏŏ Prostitute jailed for breaching peace Accomplice acquitted of knifepoint robbery on technicality MAT THEW AGIUS A man who threatened and robbed a pedestrian in Gzira at knifepoint has been acquit- ted on a technicality, while his partner in crime, a 49-year-old prostitute, was jailed for six months and fined €1,000 for loi- tering with intent and breach- ing the peace. 49-year-old Josephine Grixti and 25-year-old Clayton Fenech were charged with threatening and robbing a man, being in possession of a knife without a licence, handling stolen prop- erty and relapsing. Grixti had additionally been accused of soliciting for the purpose of prostitution and breaching bail conditions. The court was told how on 21 July 2014, Robert Thomas Owen had been walking in Gzira on his way home when Grixti had allegedly called out to him, asking for a cigarette. As soon as Owen complied, however, Fenech grabbed him and threatened him with a pen- knife before proceeding to rob him. Inspector Carlos Cordina had told the court that the when making his report, Owen had immediately picked out Fenech from a series of photographs, saying that he was certain that Fenech had threatened and robbed him. A female police sergeant told the court how, some months later, she had seen Grixti in Marsa and arrested her and Fenech, adding that during the drive back to the police depot, Grixti had threatened to strip the policewoman of her uni- form and tried to escape but was restrained by the officer. Upon their arrival, Grixti had then proceeded to loudly pro- claim that the police officer had "tried to touch her when she had been stationed in Valletta". This version of events was corroborated by another police- woman who had been assist- ing in the arrest, who also ex- plained that Grixti had alleged to the inspector at the Valletta police station that the sergeant had made a pass at her when she had been stationed in Valletta. The court was told how the woman had not cooperated with the police and refused to allow searches of her bag in addition to threatening the officers. Magistrate Doreen Clarke noted that the victim had re- ported the event as occurring in Triq Sir Ugo Mifsud, Ta' Xbiex, whilst the charges had listed some offences as taking place in Testaferrata Street, Gzira and that consequently all the charg- es dealing with the robbery had not been proven. As a result, Fenech was acquitted. But as Grixti had also been charged with loitering in Ta' Xbiex "and other areas," she was subsequently found guilty of the related charges. She was also convicted of threatening a police officer in the perform- ance of her duties, breaching the peace, blaspheming in pub- lic and relapsing. Bulgarian jailed for stealing from elderly woman A 42-year-old Bulgarian woman will be spending the next nine months in prison after she admit- ted to having stolen cash from an elderly woman earlier this month. Police Inspectors Kurt Zahra and Paula Ciantar charged Gina Pantaleeva with stealing just un- der €600 in cash from the elderly woman's Paola home back on 16 July 2015. Panteleeva admitted to the charges brought against her and was handed a nine-month prison sentence, after the court, presided by Magistrate Gabriella Vella, took into account the woman's clean police conduct. Tunisian charged with human trafficking and rape A Tunisian man has pleaded not guilty to charges of human traf- ficking and rape, after he was ar- raigned under arrest before a Mag- istrate, this afternoon. Before Magistrate Francesco De- pasquale, Inspector Joseph Busut- til charged Mohammed el Herzi, 55, a businessman who owns a textile company and who regularly visits Malta, with trafficking a Tu- nisian woman, holding her against her will and with violently forcing himself on her. The woman was certified as hav- ing suffered sight injuries as a re- sult of the attack. While little detail emerged in court this afternoon, it is under- stood that the two had met in Pal- ermo and the accused had asked the victim to accompany him on a business trip to Malta. The woman had subsequently wanted to leave but El Herzi allegedly did not allow her to. Defence lawyer Joseph Mizzi entered a plea of not guilty on El Herzi's behalf. No request for bail was made. €4,500 stolen in San Gwann gaming shop robbery ARMED men made off with some €4,500 in cash after a robbery on a gaming shop in San Gwann. Police were called to the premises, in Naxxar Road, at about 10:40pm yesterday. Pre- liminary investigations suggest that two armed and hooded men held up the business, forcing the cashier to hand over some €4,500 in cash before f leeing the scene. A search of the area yielded no leads. Police investigations are ongoing and a number of experts have been appointed to assist. Pensioners on less than €500 being ignored – AD THE pensions working group is ignoring the plight of the over 22,000 pensioners who have to get by on less than €500 a month, Alternattiva Demokratika chair- person Arnold Cassola said yes- terday. Noting that the working group has proposed a weekly rise of €20 for future pensioners, Cassola said that this should be extended to pensioners currently earning under €500 a month and that the raise could be financed through an increase in the income tax rate or social security for high-income earners. Cassola also called for a second pillar pension to be introduced for people born after 1963, to be financed through contributions by the employer, the employee and the government. "Unlike the present first pillar pension scheme, where contribu- tions go into a common general fund, the second pillar contribu- tions would be invested in funds in the individual name of each per- son, to ensure a healthy income for the said individual at retirement," Cassola said. "The lack of implementation of a second pillar pension scheme will lead to further poverty and ero- sion of pensions income in the fu- ture. It is irresponsible to continue to ignore the writing on the wall."