"You're not buying cheesecakes here," a magistrate told a man this morning when he asked for his probable prison sentence if he were to admit to the charges brought against him. 

The man, 23-year-old Yousef Essesi, who in open court called his legal aid lawyer an "idiot", tried to plea bargain directly with the court, provoking an angry reaction from Magistrate Miriam Hayman. 

Earlier in the sitting, Mr Essesi, who hails from St Julian's, vociferously objected to the presence of journalists in the courtroom but the magistrate turned down his request for the case to be heard behind closed doors. 

Mr Essesi was charged with ransacking two houses in Gzira in January last year and last April 9, from where he allegedly stole thousands of euro worth of items including cash and jewellery. 

He was also charged with stealing an iPhone 5 belonging to renowned boxer Scott Dixon on December 13 last year and to slightly injuring a man during a fight in Gzira last Monday night. He was further charged with being in possession of tear gas without a police permit, breaching the peace, committing a crime while on probation, relapsing and with breaching the bail conditions over a different case. 

Before Magistrate Hayman, Mr Essesi pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him after he failed to receive a reply on what his punishment would be if he had to admit to the charges. 

Throughout the sitting, Mr Essesi kept interrupting, prompting Magistrate Hayman to warn him that he was risking being found in contempt of court. His behaviour in court was a principal reason why she turned down his request for bail, apart from his criminal record. 

As he was walking out of the courtroom, Mr Essesi told his legal aid lawyer, Christopher Chircop, that he was "an idiot". 

Police Inspectors Jonathan Ransley and Elton Taliana prosecuted.