A lawyer yesterday strongly objected to the second arraignment in as many days of a woman charged with theft and fraud.

Peter Fenech said it was not fair on his client to split up the cases as this would double her punishment.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea upheld the objection and recommended that the two cases be amalgamated.

The 42-year-old Australian-born woman was charged with stealing a handbag containing €1,800 in cash, an HTC mobile, credit cards and other documents from Big Ben Interiors in Birkirkara on March 9.

She was also charged with stealing a wallet containing €10 and a chequebook from a person shopping at Bo Concept, in San Ġwann on April 18, and with forging cheques, using false documents and relapsing.

On Thursday, the woman was charged with stealing a cheque book, €930 in cash, using a false cheque to defraud a computer store of €729, stealing a mobile phone and relapsing.

She was remanded in custody.

Police inspectors Trevor Micallef and Luke Bonello prosecuted.

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