A 19-year-old was put on probation for three years after he admitted to breaking into the vacant house of his elderly neighbour through the washroom and stealing €2,000 worth of items.

John Junior Pace, from Gzira, admitted to stealing the items, that included cutlery and crockery, from the house on April 9. He was also charged with relapsing.

Sources said that the elderly woman had not been living in the house for some years as she was in hospital. A relative went to check on the house and found that it had been burgled and called the police who found that the intruders had entered through the washroom.

Police investigations led them to the accused and another young man who will be charged in the coming days.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke told Mr Pace to be careful who he hung around with.

"The path you have taken seems to be the wrong one and we need to get you off it and put you on the right path... This all depends on you," she told him adding that he was young and could still turn his life around.

Lawyer Alessandro Lia represented the young man while Police Inspector Jason Sultana prosecuted.

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