An 18-year-old man who had been put on probation for a string of thefts had his punishment changed to a four-year jail term when a court heard he had breached several of his probation conditions.

The teenager, who was a minor at the time of the crime, had been put on probation for three years when he filed a guilty plea in the Magistrates' Court admitting to stealing from six cars and damaging them, burgling a lotto booth and being in possession of heroin in November 2006.

The first court's judgment had been confirmed by the Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, who added more probation conditions. Among other things, the teenager had to complete a residential drug rehabilitation programme, obey the orders of his probation officers, be indoors by 10 p.m. and not frequent any club or place of entertainment.

On August 13 this year, his probation officer informed the court that the teenager had been suspended from the residential programme at San Blas.

The judge heard that the young man and another resident had been suspended for four days following an argument between them. It was planned to send the teenager to a shelter during his suspension from San Blas but, as there was a problem at the shelter, he was sent home instead.

It then resulted that he went to a party at Gianpula with his father and girlfriend. When the four days elapsed, the probation officers, having learnt that he went to the party in breach of the probation order and curfew, decided not to accept him back at San Blas despite the fact that he had regularly attended Outreach with the aim to re-enter the programme and was also found clean of drugs.

The judge noted that the teenager had breached several conditions in his probation order and had shown a defying attitude towards the administration of justice despite the fact that he had been given several chances by the courts.

The judge revoked the probation order and jailed the 18-year-old for four years. He ordered that the time spent in preventive custody be deducted from his jail term.

Police Inspector Kevin Farrugia prosecuted.