Guilty plea does not necessarily equate to light sentence - magistrate

Joseph Zammit, 22, of Msida was jailed for two and a half years and ordered to pay Lm556 costs after he pleaded guilty to theft.

Mr Zammit was charged with theft from two adjacent houses in Swieqi. The thefts, valued at over Lm100 and over Lm1,000 respectively, took place in March 2000 and were carried out to the detriment of Maria Colombo and Paul Aquilina.

Mr Zammit was also charged with theft from a house in Zurrieq. The theft, of over Lm1,000 committed in May 2000, was to the detriment of Guzeppi Cilia.

Mr Zammit was further charged with relapsing and with breaching court orders.

The court noted that the fact that the accused pleaded guilty did not mean he should get a lighter sentence, firstly because he already had 10 previous convictions of theft and receiving stolen goods between 1994 and 2001 and, secondly, because the accused did not cooperate at all with the police and filed a guilty plea only after the prosecution had produced all its evidence.

Police Inspector Silvio Valletta prosecuted.