A court this morning reluctantly jailed a 16-year-old boy for 36 months after he admitted to a series of 12 thefts in Paceville over the past three months.

Most of the thefts were pick-pocketing involving foreigners. The accused acted with a group of friends.

Prior to sentencing, the court, presided by Claire Stafrace Zammit, heard how the boy has, since the age of six, spent most of his life at Mount Carmel Hospital. About a year ago he moved in with his mother in a governemnt apartment, but the mother moved out, leaving him alone, because they did not get along.

The court was told that the boy does not work and his father stopped giving him maintenance a year ago.

The boy - who cannot be named because he is a minor - told the court that he did not wish to go to a Home because he did not like the routine, he did not want to have to take his pills (for mental health problems) and 'he does not like priests'.

The Magistrate said she understood the problems which the accused had, particularly as he had not had a family upbringing. However, she said, the court needed to be satisfied that he wanted to change, and he was not showing that.

"If you continue doing just want you want, I will have to do what I do not want to do" the Magistrate said, referring to a custodial sentence.

At one point the accused said that he wanted to be sent to the YMCA where his friends were. But the Magistrate said that these 'friends' were the ones who had led him to crime.

The boy was later jailed for the minimum allowed by law, which was 36 months, He will be held at the Young Offenders' Unit at the prisons.