Woman charged with fraud after 'spending spree'

Having treated herself to a three-week spending binge, Maria Magdalena Sultana yesterday faced fraud charges after allegedly splurging over €2,164 on clothes and perfumes and €453 at a hair salon without having any money in the bank.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona heard how Ms Sultana, 32, stole two cheques from Jos. Debono Jewellers on December 12 and cashed in almost €4,800.

Just three days later she allegedly wrote out a cheque for €453 to a hair salon, using her own cheque book and then spent €2,617 on a three-week spending spree.

Shops targeted by Ms Sultana allegedly included a perfumery, four clothes shops, a haberdashery and a beauty shop.

She pleaded not guilty.

As defence lawyer Mark Busuttil asked the court for bail, Ms Sultana shed tears, saying the holy Rosary in a whisper and glancing occasionally at the magistrate.

The request was hotly contested by Police Inspector Angelo Gafà, who said Ms Sultana was very uncooperative during the investigations and even threatened a police officer while in custody.

This was the third time that she was appearing in court on similar charges. Ms Sultana made no effort to go to his office when he summoned her and was unavailable at the address she provided.

Mr Gafà said the accused had not even been a few months into a conditional discharge when she committed another crime and he feared she would do the same again if granted bail. Furthermore, there were still witnesses to be heard.

Dr Busuttil asked the court to take into consideration the fact that this was not a murder case and that the charges were not that serious.

But Mr Gafà' disagreed, insisting that the charges were very serious and one of them carried a maximum prison sentence of seven years.

When the court decided to grant her bail a personal guarantee of €15,000, Ms Sultana thanked the magistrate who explained to her the serious consequences of breaching any of the bail conditions.

Despite the prosecution saying she did not have enough money to pay for the rent, Ms Sultana said she is renting a flat in Bugibba and also owns a house in San Gwann.