Two men, a Maltese and a Libyan, were each placed under a three-year probation order after pleading guilty to various charges of aggravated theft to the detriment of the Labour Party Club in Sannat and the owner of a field in Kerċem.

Silvio Pace, 46, from Ħamrun and Bashir Abu Gawem Al-Hariri who lives in Sta Venera, had pleaded guilty aggravated theft from the Labour Party Club in Sannat and dealing in stolen goods. They were also charged with damaging third party property.

Both men were also accused of having stolen a water pump and cigarettes stored inside a shed in a field in Kerċem and with having subsequently handled the items stolen from the owners of the rural property.

Besides being relapsers, Mr Pace was charged with breaching bail conditions and an earlier probation order.

While taking note of the accused's guilty plea, the court in Gozo, presided by Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, focused upon the role of the judiciary in reforming offenders. It was observed that since the commission of the offences, both accused had made amends and improved their ways.

As in a previous judgments, Magistrate Mifsud referred to a speech delivered by Pope Francis during a recent encounter with prison inmates as well as the speech delivered by Archbishop Charles Scicluna at the opening ceremony of this year's Forensic Year.

The latter declared that "laws must be applied in such a way that justice becomes an expression of mercy whereby each male and female offender is given what he or she deserves, whilst bearing in mind the rehabilitation of both offender and victim".

In line with this desire to rehabilitate wrongdoers, the court imposed a three-year probation order upon each of the accused so that they might "continue down the right path and acknowledge that they are not to repeat their past mistakes," the court concluded.

Inspector Frank Anthony Tabone prosecuted. Lawyers Angie Muscat, Franco Debono and Joseph Grech were defence counsel.

 

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