A Serb was this afternoon remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to breaking into a Qawra kiosk and stealing more than €1,200 worth of cigarettes and an undisclosed amount of alcohol.

Dejan Patkovic, 33, was arrested during a roadblock in Swieqi when he was caught in possession tear gas cans as he drove his BMW with Bulgarian registration plates. The police claimed he was not covered by an insurance policy.

Police investigations revealed that he had also been involved in two thefts. Apart from the robbery from the Qawra kiosk, from where he also made off with cash, Mr Petkovic was also charged with stealing various items from an apartment in St Julians on the night of October 26, 2013 while he was in Malta working as an assistant football coach with a local team.

When asked whether he would plead guilty or not guilty, Mr Petkovic said that he was guilty of some of the charges but not guilty of others. He, therefore, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Magistrate Marseann Farrugia denied his request for bail and he was remanded in custody.

Police Inspectors James Grech and Carol Fabri prosecuted while lawyer Joseph Mizzi was defence counsel.

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