A Somali man was jailed for 40 months for his involvement in stealing €40, a mobile phone, credit cards and other items from a Romanian man while he was asleep on a Paceville bench last summer.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli found Abdulahi Mohamed Adow, 33, guilty of committing the crime while out on bail and during the operative time of a 16-month suspended jail term.

He had been charged together with another Somali man - Bashir Abulahi Ahmed, 21 -  who had been given a two-year jail term suspended for four years after he admitted to stealing from Romanian Bogdan-Marius Caimaru.

The two Somalians were among a group of four people allegedly seen rifling through the pockets of Mr Caimaru by Police Sergeant Andrew St John early on August 31 last year while he was was asleep on a bench in Paceville.

On seeing the officer, the four men ran away. PS St John managed to grab one of them and handcuffed him to the bull bar of a nearby car before taking off to chase the second person. The other two managed to escape.

Mr Caimaru had said he had gone to Paceville with friends.Whenever they went there, he said, they had an agreement that if they ever got separated they would meet near the bus stop for the 5.30am bus which would take them home.

He said that on this night, he got separated from his friends and was waiting for them at the bus stop.

As he was waiting, he fell asleep on a bench and at one point felt people touching him.

The magistrate jailed Mr Adow for two years and ordered that the 16-month suspended jail term be brought into effect.

Police Inspector Trevor Micallef prosecuted.