A boy who claimed he had carried out a series of thefts because he was hungry has been placed under probation for three years.

Police Inspector Keith Arnaud told a court today said that the boy had carried out a number of thefts because he was on his own in the streets and needed to eat.

The boy had been abandoned by his mother after his father died a few years ago and he was put in an institute where he began hanging out with the wrong company.

He spent time living on the streets and had shoplifted chocolate just to be able to eat something, the inspector said.

The boy pleaded guilty to stealing from four shops, a building site and taking food from a Captain Morgan boat in Sliema between May 1 and June 17.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano said that before handing down judgment he had taken into consideration that the boy had helped police with their investigations and even admitted to stealing items that were so minimal in value the victims did not even know that they were missing.