Probation for teenagers who targeted judge's house

Three youngsters were placed on probation for three years after they were found guilty of trying to break into the house of Judge Giovanni Bonello "for fun".

One of the youngsters was 15 and the other two 16 at the time of the crime.

One of the boys testified that they wanted to do something daring and decided to break into the uninhabited house, in Old Bakery Street, Valletta, but without the intention of taking anything.

The three, he said, eventually gave up and did not even open the door.

However, the police had already been tipped off about the attempted burglary and caught them as they fled the scene.

This was not the first time that Judge Bonello's home was targeted. In 2004, priceless paintings, including a Caravaggio, had been stolen from his home.

The paintings were eventually recovered and the thieves caught.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera took into consideration the fact that the three young offenders were minors at the time of the incident and that they had changed their minds. She also took into consideration the fact that they had a clean police record and were all first-time offenders.

Lawyers Michael Sciriha and Juliana Scerri Ferrante were defence counsel.