A drug addict yesterday denied stealing cash and cheques from a man and appeared to be taken aback that the alleged victim could accuse him of stealing.

Mark Scerri, 34, of Marsascala, said he was having a drink with one Raymond Mallia on May 16 at around 5 p.m. at Ralph Industrial Supplies in Sta Venera and then left.

Everything was fine and then all of the sudden, sometime later, this person accused him of stealing cheques and cash, he said.

Police Inspector Keith Arnaud said the victim was the only witness in the case and it was crucial that his testimony would not be compromised in any way. He asked the court to remand the accused in custody.

Lawyer Mark Busuttil said his client, who had a drug abuse problem, was innocent until proven guilty.

Mr Scerri pleaded not guilty to the theft, breaching the conditions of a previous release and relapsing. Magistrate Marseann Farrugia remanded him in ­custody.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.