A St Paul's Bay resident was yesterday conditionally discharged for three years for defrauding a foreign exchange bureau and two banks of Lm6,300.

Joseph Attard, 39, pleaded guilty to defrauding Thomas Cook Limited, Bank of Valletta and HSBC by presenting a forged BOV cheque in April 2001.

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro noted that Attard had paid the money back to Thomas Cook Limited.

She also heard the prosecution declare that Attard was driven to commit the crime because he himself had been a victim of fraud.

In these circumstances, imprisonment was not appropriate and Attard deserved to be given a chance to reform.

Police Inspector Helga Debono prosecuted.

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