A Serbian construction worker has been jailed for two years after admitting to stealing €3,950 from Izibet betting shop in Msida Seafront earlier this month.

In a decision this morning, Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech expressed concern on the increasing number of crimes being committed by foreigners, saying such a situation was "intolerable". The court also ordered the man to be deported after serving his sentence.

The case happened in the early hours of July 9. Dejan Lijeskic, 39, was arrested in Testaferrata Street, Gzira where he was found hiding in a building site. It later transpired that the he had entered the shop from an adjacent property which he broke into using a stolen construction ladder.

He initially denied all charges, but then filed a guilty plea some days later.

In its decision the court took into consideration the man's criminal record and the fact that he had no 'fixed' identity. Somehow the defendant had managed to obtain various identity cards with different names, the magistrate remarked.

Police inspectors Saviour Baldacchino and Mark Mercieca prosecuted.