A former Malta International Airport employee caught trying to steal valuable items from the airport's lost and found room was handed a suspended sentence today. 

Marco Camilleri, 45, had worked with the airport as a carpenter and maintenance worker for 25 years.

In July 2015, he was caught scrambling up some shelves and disappearing into a gap in the lost and found room's soffit after two customer care officials wedged open the room's door. 

The door had been blocked by a heavy object and various valuables were found strewn across the floor. One of the customer care officials reported the matter to her superiors, who called in the police.

Mr Camilleri had told police that he had entered the room through the soffit to retrieve a lost screwdriver. However, in court he could not explain why he had not called security personnel to access the room, or why valuables were found scattered across the floor.

At the time of the offence, Mr Camilleri had not been assigned any duties in the vicinity of the Lost and Found room.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli found the man guilty of attempted theft and sentenced him to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for three years on account of his clean criminal record.

Inspector Silvio Magro prosecuted.