Three soldiers of the Armed Forces of Malta and another two men this evening pleaded guilty to attempting to burgle a home improvements shop and showroom in Gozo earlier this week.
The burglary was thwarted when the shop owner interrupted the men as they tried to open a safe which contained cash. They fled the scene but some were arrested on the Gozo ferry.
The accused are Ronnie McKay, Robert Agius and Daniel Vella, all members of the AFM, Kurt Buttigieg and Juanito Ximenes. Four of the accused are Maltese and the other is Gozitan.
The soldiers were also accused of committing a crime they were duty bound to prevent.
Bail was refused pending sentencing.
Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi, Franco Debono, Angie Muscat and Victor Galea represented the accused.