The 20-year-old mother of a child with special needs was yesterday given a suspended jail term after she admitted to taking part in a string of hold-ups on gaming outlets in 2009.

Defence lawyer Giannella de Marco said that Chantelle Camilleri, from Ħamrun was accompanying her former boyfriend, Gilbert Busuttil, 26, of Sta Venera.

She had remained in a getaway car waiting, while he and another two accomplices carried out the armed robberies on the gaming shops.

Mr Busuttil was jailed for four years last year and his accomplices – Bashir Abu Gasem Al Hariri, 37, and Martin Cassar, 32 – were jailed for four years and six-and-a-half years respectively.

In Ms Camilleri’s case, Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani handed down a two-year jail term suspended for four years and placed her under supervision for three years after taking into consideration that this was her first offence.

She also took into consideration the fact that she had a child with special needs.