Three young men were ordered to do 50 hours of community service and a fourth was put on probation for a year after they admitted to stealing two propellers worth over €230 from Xlendi in June of 2008.

Magistrate Edwina Grima described their behaviour as a misadventure. They had first stolen one propeller and, realising it was too big, stole another smaller one.

The names of the youths, aged between 16 and 19, are not being published because three of them were still minors when the crime was committed.

The eldest one also admitted to driving without insurance cover or a licence.

In handing down judgment, Magistrate Grima said the boys did not seem to be on the path to delinquency, so a prison term was not appropriate.