Cleared of suspicious possession of tools

Three men, who had been previously convicted of theft, were cleared of the possession of tools that could have been used to force open a lock after a magistrate ruled that the charges brought against them had not been sufficiently proven. Magistrate...

Three men, who had been previously convicted of theft, were cleared of the possession of tools that could have been used to force open a lock after a magistrate ruled that the charges brought against them had not been sufficiently proven.

Magistrate Silvio Meli cleared the men - Alfred Bugeja, known as Il-Porporina, 47, of Valletta; Stacy Chircop, 34, of Ta' Xbiex; and Paul Spagnol, 38, of San Gwann - of the suspicious possession of tools which could have been used to force a lock open last November 25. The tools included a lever, screwdrivers and gloves. Police had issued the charges against the men because they had, in the past, been found guilty of theft.

Mr Spagnol alone was fined Lm1,000 and jailed for 15 days as Magistrate Meli found him guilty of driving a motorcycle recklessly and when he did not have a licence or insurance cover.

Police Inspectors Carmelo Bartolo and Christopher Pullicino prosecuted.

Lawyer Franco Debono appeared for the men.

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