A German man who sold two Mercedes vans rented in Germany has been given a suspended jail term and ordered to repay €60,000 within six months.

Julian Constantin Peter Buhr, 26, admitted to misappropriating the vans and selling them in Malta.

One of the vehicles, worth €40,000, has since left the island and has yet to be traced.

Defence lawyer Joe Giglio said his client was willing to pay the full amount back to its owner and a further €6,000 for repairs that needed to be carried out.

He added that as a goodwill gesture he would be rounding up the figure to €50,000.

The other vehicle was found in Malta and returned to its owner, Dieter Speiser, who was in court yesterday.

Police Inspector Arthur Mercieca said the van had been sold for €10,000 to another man who had now been left out of pocket.

Dr Giglio said his client would be paying the €10,000 back to this man as well.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli sentenced Mr Buhr to two years in prison, suspended for four years, and ordered him to pay the victims a total of €60,000 within six months.

She warned him that failure to pay would mean that the prison term would be immediately enforceable.