An appeals court ruled that notorious criminal Alfred Bugeja, known as Il-Porporina, was not the mastermind behind a theft in Burmarrad but an accomplice.

Still, the Court of Criminal Appeal confirmed the three-year jail term handed down by a magistrate arguing that both crimes were subject to the same punishment.

Mr Bugeja, 52, of Valletta, had already been convicted over 46 crimes related to theft and jailed on 19 occasions.

He had filed an appeal over the Burmarrad case arguing that not enough evidence had been produced to prove that he was guilty of theft during a snatch and grab.

In August 2008, Mr Bugeja parked his car near a lotto booth and deflated the tyre of the lotto receiver's vehicle.

The lotto receiver, Maria Suda, closed the booth in the early afternoon and noticed that she had a puncture. Almost immediately, a man appeared and offered to help her change the wheel. When she placed her bags on the back seat of her car, the man grabbed them and took off running.

Two neighbours testified that they had seen a Mercedes Benz with two men in it.

Police officers told the court an anonymous caller had given a description of the car and the number plate and this information led them to Mr Bugeja.

The appeals court, presided over by Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, found Mr Bugeja guilty of acting as an accomplice and not as the mastermind of the crime. However, he noted, since both crimes incurred the same punishment, Mr Bugeja's prison term should not be reduced.