'Time for accused to learn he cannot get away with crime'

A Siggiewi man was yesterday jailed for three and a half years for stealing a car four months after he was given a suspended sentence.

Brian Agius, 24, was found guilty of stealing Darren Borg's Ford Cortina when it was parked at Ta' Qali on May 14, 1998.

He was also found guilty of stealing the car after he was sentenced to an 18-month jail term suspended for three years on January 22, 1998.

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro heard how Borg reported that his car had been stolen while he was watching a football match at Ta' Qali. Later on that evening he reported seeing his car parked in Sta Venera.

When police went on the site indicated to them they found Agius asleep in a Ford Cortina and arrested him. Agius told police that while he was on his way home from the match he started feeling faint.

He noticed that Borg's parked car was open and the key was in the car. He drove towards his house but on the way he felt unwell so he stopped the car in Sta Venera to rest and fell asleep.

Probation officer Mariella Camilleri said that Agius told her he was being chased by a gang in Ta' Qali when he saw Borg's car and took off with it since Cortinas were easy to break into.

Magistrate Lofaro yesterday noted that Agius' behaviour clearly showed that he did not intend making good use of the chance given to him when he was given a suspended sentence in January 1998.

She said that the time had come for Agius to learn that he could not get away with crime.

Police Inspector Silvio Valletta prosecuted.