A convicted thief stopped by the police who saw him wearing a long sleeved jacket in the middle of summer before he tried to run away told a magistrate he was jogging to lose weight.
Jonathan Felice, 25, of Qormi, told Magistrate Marseann Farrugia that one minute he was jogging and the next he was arrested by the police
He said he wore a long sleeve jacket with a top underneath so that it would soak up his sweat as he needed to lose weight, an explanation Magistrate Farrugia said did not make sense.
Mr Felice was charged with being in possession of items for which he could not offer a reasonable explanation, breaching the conditions of bail in three separate cases, breaching a probation order and relapsing.
The court heard how two police officers, Sergeant Ryan Pisani and Constable Nigel Mallia were told to go to Mgr Frendo Street in Qormi to investigate two suspicious looking men.
On their arrival they saw the two men, one of whom was Mr Felice, wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses and a long sleeve jacket. When they approached them, the suspects threw a bag on the floor and took off running in opposite directions.
One officer followed the accused in the car, the other followed the other on foot. They lost the second suspect. Mr Felice was arrested and told police that he thought his bail curfew had lapsed but in court claimed he was jogging.
In the bag, the police found a screw driver, socks and a top, items notoriously used in thefts.
In her considerations, Magistrate Farrugia said Mr Felice had been convicted 13 times, six times for theft, in some instances even holding people against their will.
His probation officer too told the court that he had not followed up appointments and failed a drugs test when he tested positive for cocaine use.
What mostly worried the court was his lack of motivation to find employment. This would only lead to more delinquency, she said adding that this made him dangerous to society.
She sentenced him to two-years-and-six-months behind bars.
Police Inspector Roderick Agius prosecuted.