A man who attacked and robbed two elderly sisters as they were leaving church in November two years ago was today jailed for four years.

Simon Camilleri, 48, from Cospicua, was found guilty of stealing the gold necklaces they were wearing, threatening them, breaching bail conditions and relapsing.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard that on November 18, 2012, the victims, aged 79 and 82, were returning home from Mass at a nearby church in Triq il-Madonna tal-Ghar, Mellieha.

While they were walking down the steps, they saw the accused, who  ran past them snatching the gold necklaces they were wearing. He ran into a car and sped off.

A woman who witnessed the incident took note of the car's registration plates. The sisters said their assailant was wearing dark sunglasses, a white shirt and a baseball cap.

The accused at first denied that he was even in Mellieha on the day in question but then changed his version and said he had gone to Mellieha to meet a woman, who he failed to identify.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera said the court had no doubt about the man's involvement in the case, insisting that he had been given several chances to get his life back on the right track. She therefore jailed him for four years.

Police Inspectors Carlos Cordina and Gabriel Micallef prosecuted.

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