A magistrate today handed down an effective 11-month prison term to a Romanian man who admitted to pickpocketing a top-of-the-range iPhone from a Paceville nightclub.
Magistrate Aaron Bugeja jailed 28-year-old Cezarica Rosioru after he heard him change his plea to guilty.
The court heard how Mr Rosioru stole the iPhone 6 mobile from a reveller at Havana night club on the night of June 27 and handed it over to an accomplice. The accomplice, 33-year-old Lucian Grecu, received a seven-month jail sentence last week.
But Magistrate Bugeja said Mr Rosioru could not benefit from a reduction in his jail sentence as he had chosen to plead not guilty to the charges.
The magistrate said pickpocketing from crowded place was on the increase and a strong message had to be sent that such crime are not tolerated.
Police Inspectors John Spiteri and Matthew Spagnol prosecuted while lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace appeared for the accused.