Police charge alleged pickpockets

Two Romanians stole a wallet containing some €600 while waiting in the queue at McDonalds in Republic Street, Valletta last Monday, a police inspector told a court yesterday.

Suzana Vladescu, 60, and Theodor Dumitrescu, 42, both from Bucharest, were caught on CCTV footage taking the wallet from Mario Cardarelli inside McDonalds at around 1.45 p.m., the court heard.

Police Inspector James Grech said the two accused had no fixed address and were not staying at a hotel, adding that they could not even name the people who were hosting them.

Legal aid lawyer Henry Antonich asked for bail, saying his clients were tourists and would be leaving in a week’s time, but Senior Magistrate Silvio Meli dismissed the arguments as being neither logical nor serious.

Police Inspector Grech argued that bail should not be granted because the two could easily leave the island as Romania was a member of the European Union.

They were remanded in custody.