A 19-year-old man who stole his mother’s Cashlink card and withdrew €700 to buy clothes and alcohol two years ago was yesterday jailed for five months.

The teenager, who cannot be named because he was a minor when the crime was committed, stole the card from his mother’s handbag and went on a shopping spree in Gozo, where he lives, in May 2008.

His mother reported him to police but did not want to testify against him, which was her right, Magistrate Edwina Grima said.

The magistrate said that when she came to evaluating the punishment, she took into consideration the fact that the probation officer had testified that the youngster was unwilling to reform and was ignoring her. She also considered that he was underage when he committed the crime.

Police Inspector Frank Tabone prosecuted.