Drug addict granted bail

A man with a drug problem was yesterday granted bail against a personal guarantee of €3,000 after pleading not guilty to charges of stealing under €2,329 in jewellery from a house in Rabat.

Constantino Gouder, 28, denied breaking into the house on July 28 last year at about 11.30 a.m., taking gold items and causing over €116 in damage to the property.

He also pleaded not guilty to breaching probation conditions handed down to him last year when he was convicted of stealing over €2,330 in cash and items from a residence in Mosta and relapsing. In that case, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera placed him under probation for three years instead of jailing him after she heard that he had made good progress in his efforts to kick a drug habit.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera, presiding over this case as well, yesterday decided to grant the accused bail following submissions by Police Inspector Keith Arnaud, who said Mr Gouder still suffered from a drug problem, and by defence lawyer Anthony Cutajar, who highlighted the fact that his client had fully cooperated with the police.