A 72-year-old golfer was conditionally discharged for two years for handling an electric golf trolley stolen from the Royal Malta Golf Club in Marsa.

Alfred Brown, from Marsascala, told the police that a friend of his, Alistair McLean, a former caddie to international champion Colin Montgomerie, had given him the trolley he said he had purchased on Ebay in September last year.

Mr Brown could not provide any details of the purchase or about Mr McLean and changed his version later, saying he met him in Summer Nights bar in his hometown and wanted to buy the trolley. He never saw Mr McLean again.

He said he used the trolley for about two weeks until the owner, Felicity Dix, spotted it at the club and noted the serial number to prove it had been stolen. She told the police it had been taken from the trolley room inside the club. When questioned by the police, Mr Brown was asked to return the trolley to the rightful owner, which he agreed to do.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera noted that Mr Brown was initially charged with stealing and with handling stolen property.

She pointed out that the trolley room had been accessible to the public and no one saw the crime being committed.

Although finding him guilty of handling stolen property, the court said Mr Brown had no police record and was a first-time offender.