A 29-year-old woman from Tarxien was given a suspended sentence after being found guilty as an accomplice in a violent robbery which ended up with the victim suffering serious injuries.

Giannella Agius admitted to having stolen an amount of cash and a Samsung Young mobile from Owen John Carabott. The incident took place in Paola in the early hours of the morning on August 6 last year.

The accused and her partner in crime, a man of Libyan nationality whom she allegedly did not know by name, had held their victim against his will and then made off with his possessions.

She declared in court that her accomplice had actually taken all the booty.

The court, presided by magistrate Anthony Vella, observed that the woman needed help for her drug problem.

Bearing this in mind, the court declared the accused guilty and condemned her to a two year prison term suspended for four. Moreover, the woman was placed under a supervision order so as to receive all the help she needed to overcome her drug-related problems.

The woman's accomplice, Rawad Briga Abdelsalam, 31, was reportedly charged separately before a magistrate's court and was found guilty of his involvement in the violent robbery. The man was condemned to a jail term of 18 months.

The man is currently undergoing criminal proceedings for a snatch and grab incident in St Julian's last August. The accused allegedly threatened his victim, a Maltese woman who was walking along with her polish friend, with a knife as he tried to make off with her handbag.