Thief jailed for 29 months

Investigations that followed after a man saw his stolen stereo for sale yesterday landed a thief "with an impressive criminal record" in jail. Twenty-five-year-old Anton Vassallo, of Zabbar, was yesterday imprisoned for two years and five months after he was found guilty of theft.

Vassallo was found guilty of stealing a stereo from a car belonging to Rodney Marsh in May 2000. He was further found guilty of damaging Marsh's property, relapsing and committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended jail term.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima noted that Marsh had gone to JCC Stores, a shop that deals in second hand goods in Paola, to sell his amplifier as he no longer needed it after his stereo had been stolen. There he saw a stereo for sale and recognised it as the one that had been stolen from him. He even had his guarantee and sales receipt that proved the stereo was originally his.

As the theft had been reported to the police, he went to inform the police that he had seen his stolen stereo, and the police went to the shop, took the stereo and started their investigations.

The court noted that the shop owner, Richard Cassar, told the police he had bought it from the accused for Lm60 and that it cost Lm95.

In handing down its judgement, the court noted "the impressive criminal record" the accused had already and that he had been given various opportunities to mend his ways.

It also noted that Vassallo pleaded guilty rather late during the hearing of the case "and after noting the puerile attempt the accused made to take the justice system for a ride, by enlisting in a drug rehabilitation programme on the eve of when the judgement was to be handed, the court is of the opinion that the accused merits nothing less than a prison sentence," Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima said.

However, just to ensure that any efforts that were made to rehabilitate him by the St Mary's Institute do not go down the drain, the Court recommended that the accused commences a drug rehabilitation programme in prison.

Inspector Carlo Ellul prosecuted.