A Romanian man who stole an iPhone 6 from a mobile phone shop at BayStreet Shopping Complex was caught after the police used the Find My iPhone app to trace where the device was, the court heard today.

The police went to an apartment in St Julian's where they found the accused, Anton Ilief, 29. They also found several other items that had been stolen on other days, including many other mobile phones, a laptop and jewellery.

During the interrogations, the Romanian, who has been in Malta for a month-and-a-half, admitted to thefts that had not even been reported to the police.

The last theft he committed was from a house in Mosta which he decided to burgle when he saw a balcony door ajar.

The man told the court he simply wanted to return to Romania where his wife was giving birth to their baby but Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona warned him that for what he did he could jail him for seven years. He pleaded guilty to all 12 charges brought against him.

As he jailed him for 18 months, Magistrate Micallef Trigona told the accused: "I wish i could help you by going lower but I honestly cannot. This is the bare minimum.

"This should serve you as a lesson," he added as the man cried in court.

Police Inspectors John Spiteri and James Grech prosecuted while lawyer Yana Micallef Stafrace was legal aid.