Parents report son, 16, to police

The parents of a 16-year-old heroin addict reported their son to the police after a series of thefts from their home.

They asked a court yesterday to remand him in custody for his own good, a request which Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona upheld.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, has been on the highly-addictive drug, dubbed smack, for about a year and a half after hanging out with the wrong crowd, police sources said.

Accompanied by his parents, both in tears, the boy pleaded not guilty to stealing a DVD player, two mobile phones, a gold ring belonging to his father, a Sony Playstation, €1,000 in cash, a camera, a crash helmet and €100 in cash from his grandmother.

The crimes all allegedly happened between December and last Monday.

The teenager also denied breaching the conditions of a previous release.

Police Inspector Spiridione Zammit prosecuted.