Apologetic thief gets five years

A man who threatened five people with a knife and took off with money they had just withdrawn from ATMs in Qormi was jailed for five years for the crime his lawyer described as “naive”.

“I didn’t hurt anyone. When I went up to the people to take their money I told them ‘sorry’ and that the cash was for my sick daughter,” Antoine Mallia told Magistrate Marsanne Farrugia on his arraignment.

However, when Mr Mallia’s father, Francis, was called to testify on this point he said this was the first time he was hearing the girl was sick. He said his son had a drug addiction problem and he wished he would follow a drug rehabilitation programme.

Speaking from the dock, Mr Mallia told the magistrate his father was old, forgetful and hard of hearing. He shouted out to his father in an irritated tone: “How can you not remember? I told you about my sick daughter.”

Mr Mallia pleaded guilty to stealing over €600 in total when he held up five people who had just withdrawn money from ATMs in Qormi between Sunday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 8.45 a.m.

He also admitted to holding the five people against their will, the illegal possession of a knife, stealing from a woman on March 28 and trying to hold up a man at a Paceville ATM on Monday.

His lawyer, Mark Mifsud Cutajar, said his client was not a hardened criminal and had acted in a moment of desperation. The charges brought against him showed a somewhat “naive” crime as he held up people in front of banks surrounded by CCTV cameras and even spoke to them to apologise.

Mr Mallia told the court he was sorry for his actions committed at a time when he was unemployed and going through a bad personal phase. He said he would pay back the money adding that, he was sure his family would help him because “there are a lot of people who love me”.

Police Inspectors Daniel Zammit and Joseph Mercieca, prosecuting, said Mr Mallia had cooperated with the police and no one had been hurt during the hold-ups. The officers could not confirm whether it was true Mr Mallia had a sick daughter.