A woman who lost her job at Lidl because her colleague had stolen lottery prizes and placed them in her car has been cleared of theft after the court ruled that the main witness was lying. 

Amanda Calleja, 29, was cleared of the charges after a court doubted the version of her colleague, Jonathan Psaila, who claimed that Ms Calleja had told him to steal five Fuji cameras. 

The court heard how the pair were at the Westin Dragonara Hotel on the night on April 27, 2012, attending a party for Lidl employees. The management had organised a lottery for employees and had purchased a number of prizes to hand out to its employees. 

At one point during the event, the management realised that the cameras had gone missing and Mr Psaila took them to Ms Calleja's car where they were found hidden under the front seat. 

Ms Calleja from the outset denied her involvement in the theft, claiming that she was outside smoking with other colleagues when Mr Psaila asked her for her car keys. She though he wanted to get his jacket that he left in her car, as she had given him a lift to the party, and gave him the keys without questioning why he wanted them. 

Colleagues who were with her corroborated her version of events. However, Mr Psaila - who was facing criminal proceedings over the same theft and had pleaded guilty and was sentenced - insisted in court that it was Ms Calleja who told him to steal the cameras and place them in her car. 

But Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit noted various inconsistencies in his testimony, including the fact that he had admitted he got drunk on the night but then claimed her "clearly remembered" Ms Calleja's instructions regarding the cameras.

He also claimed he had won a prize but in actual fact he had won nothing that day, as opposed to Ms Calleja who had won a sewing machine. 

The court found that Mr Psaila's version could not be believed so there was no other evidence to prove her involvement in the theft so she cleared her of the charge. 

Police Inspector Trevor Micallef prosecuted while lawyer Arthur Azzopardi was defence counsel. 

 

 

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