A 26-year-old pregnant woman, who is due to give birth within the next three weeks, was yesterday jailed for three months for breaching her bail conditions.

Magistrate Neville Camilleri told Donna Camilleri, who has a drug abuse problem, she could not keep using her pregnancy to get lenient sentences and had to understand, once and for all, that court was no game.

Ms Camilleri, from Santa Lucija, burst into tears as the magistrate sentenced her.

The magistrate pointed out that Ms Camilleri had been given a suspended jail term in August for withdrawing cash using a stolen credit card.

Earlier this week she was accused – with her pregnant sister Amanda and a man – of being involved of breaking into a Gżira shop.

The court had granted her bail against a personal guarantee of 3,000 and on condition she is indoors by 6pm.

However, on Tuesday, police patrolling the Gżira area spotted her in the area at 11.55pm. Yesterday, Ms Camilleri admitted to breaching bail.

Police Inspector Jason Sultana told the court that, while Ms Camilleri should be given a slap on the wrist, jail was not the best option for her.

“Her problem is that her boyfriend is a bad influence on her and keeps getting her in trouble,” he said, adding that the woman had a drug addiction problem.

The inspector said she had been offered to start a drug rehabilitation programme but only if her sister dropped out since there was no place.

He said he was not insisting that the €3,000 personal guarantee should be confiscated since she was struggling financially.

Legal aid lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace said his client needed help and agreed that jail was not the best option.

However, the magistrate pointed out she had been given chances before and each time she used her pregnancy to get a lighter punishment. In this case she was facing a maximum six-month jail term.

However, he jailed her for three months and ordered that the personal guarantee is not confiscated.

The magistrate also recommended that Ms Camilleri be kept at Mount Carmel Hospital and that she is given the help she needs when the time comes to give birth.