An 18-year-old inmate who was forced by hunger to steal from a number of places, including shops, was placed under probation for three years.

Police Inspector Keith Arnaud said the man, who was still a minor when the crimes occurred, had committed the thefts because he lived on the streets and had to eat.

He said the man had been abandoned by his mother after his father died a few years ago. He had been put in a home and began hanging around with the wrong company. He had spent time living on the streets and hunger had even forced him to shoplift chocolate.

The man pleaded guilty to stealing from four shops and a building site and taking food from a Captain Morgan boat in Sliema between May 1 and June 17.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano took into consideration the fact that the man had helped the police in their investigations and had even admitted to stealing items that were so minimal in value the victims did not even notice they were missing.

The man's name is not being mentioned because he was a minor at the time the crimes took place.