A 70-year-old woman who claimed to be a kleptomaniac was made to pay €1,500 for a packet of Weetabix and €2.50 worth of Easter eggs she stole from a supermarket.
The owner, Raymond Borg, 45, of Zebbug, was this morning granted bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €3,000 after he pleaded not guilty to trying to extort money from the woman earlier this month.
He also denied harassing and threatening the woman after she was caught stealing petty items from the V&F Supermarket in Sliema.
Police Inspector Jason Sultana told the court the woman told the police that kleptomania, which she had been suffering from for two years, led her to unintentionally steal small items.
She told the police she had taken a packet of Weetabix from the supermarket without paying and the owner had contacted her and made her give him €1,000.
Another time, she took a packet of small Easter eggs worth €2.50 and the owner demanded €500.
She told the police she contacted the chairman of her bank who advised her to speak to a lawyer. The lawyer in turn told the woman to speak to the police.