A 24-year-old man from Niger, who has been living in Malta for eight years, was remanded in custody today after being charged with stealing mobile phones and selling cannabis over the weekend.

Hassan Smaile Mohammed, who lives in Msida, pleaded not guilty to stealing a mobile phone from Corina Daniela Oprea-Ilie and others, handling stolen property and being in possession of cannabis with the intent to sell it yesterday at about 3.30am

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit heard a 15-year-old Romanian boy testify that he had been in Malta for two months with his mother who worked as a dancer.

Yesterday he was alone on the beach at St George's Bay, at about 2am. He was lying on the beach when a man approached him, showed him two mobile phones and a wrist watch and offered to sell them to him.

The boy said he turned down the offer and the man - who he identified as Mr Mohammed -  walked away.  Mr Mohammed then turned back and offered to sell him weed. The boy said he told the man that he was only 15 and did not smoke. The man walked away again then turned back, pulled him up, swore at him, and pulled him towards a group of people.

A man then approached them and asked to buy weed and, when Mr Mohammed was about to give it to him, the buyer identified himself as police.

Ms Oprea-Ilie said that yesterday morning she was at St George's beach and put her phone near her bag while talking to friends. It disappeared soon after. She said the lighting was dim and there were lots of people on the beach. She described her phone as a white HTC that had a cover with an owl on the back. She recognised it in court.

Mr Mohammed was  remanded in custody after the magistrate heard he did not have a fixed address and there was the risk that he absconded.

Police Inspector Trevor Micallef prosecuted.