Two admit possession of stolen crossbow

Two men from Cospicua yesterday admitted to the possession of a stolen crossbow.

Victor Degabriele, 24, and Eman Cassar, 23, pleaded guilty to the charges of handling stolen property and possessing the crossbow without a licence.

Mr Degabriele alone was also charged with relapsing, breaching the conditions of a previous release, and committing a crime during the term of a suspended sentence.

After taking into consideration the fact that the accused had collaborated with the police, Magistrate Edwina Grima handed down a seven-month prison term suspended for one year to Mr Cassar.

Mr Degabriele was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €2,000 (Lm858.36) after his defence counsel requested that his probation officer testifies before judgment is handed down.

Inspector Michael Mallia prosecuted. Lawyer Edward Zammit Lewis appeared for Mr Cassar and lawyers Michael Sciriha and Ian Farrugia for Mr Degabriele.