Youth gets three years for hold-up

A 19-year-old was yesterday jailed for three years and a month after he admitted to his involvement in a hold-up of a confectionery and to breaching bail conditions on Saturday night.

Roderick Brincat sat quietly in the dock during his arraignment where he pleaded guilty to stealing Lm170 in cash from Carmel Ellul at a confectionery in Senglea at about 11.30 p.m.

He also admitted to holding Mr Ellul against his will, threatening to kill him, slightly injuring him and the illegal possession of a knife.

In a second arraignment, the same teenager admitted to breaching bail conditions handed down in a separate case on September 26.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima, who presided over both arraignments, heard lawyer Martin Fenech, for Mr Brincat, explain that his client had breached bail conditions because he had been kicked out of the house where he had been living.

The lawyer said his client had not followed the court order because he had social problems. In fact Mr Brincat was being provided food by people who felt sorry for him.

Mr Brincat was not a hardened criminal and had acted out of desperation.

The prosecution said, however, that although it was true Mr Brincat had problems and even abused drugs, this did not justify the fact that he carried out a hold- up.

After allowing Mr Brincat time to reconsider his guilty pleas in both cases, the magistrate jailed him for a month for breaching bail and for three years for the hold-up.

She recommended he follow a drug rehabilitation programme while in jail and learn a skill he could eventually use to get a job.

Police Inspectors Raymond Cassar and Geoffrey Azzopardi prosecuted.