A 46-year-old man was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to 14 charges in connection with the theft of artefacts from Churches worth thousands of euro.

The thief, Eric Sapiano from Sliema, was well-known to the police as in 2012 he had already been convicted for a similar theft, from Ta’ Ġieżu Church in Rabat.

Then, Mr Sapiano had been given a six-month jail term suspended for three years after admitting to stealing an 1812 painting by Giuseppe Hyzler.

The man, who up till then had a clean criminal record, had justified his act saying it was done out of rage since so much had happened to him in life.

However, it later transpired that months before the case the man had already been stealing, as in April last year he was charged with the theft of an 1861 painting by Antonio Falzon from Ta’ Ġieżu Church in Valletta in February 2012.

He was also accused of stealing an antique vase from Stella Maris parish church in Sliema and a silver chalice from the Safi Church, both in August 2014, and a silver vase from St Paul’s Church in Valletta in February last year.

Mr Sapiano was also charged with stealing an antique vase from St Publius parish church in Floriana on April 18, 2015, and of being in possession of a stolen silver plate bearing the St Dominic emblem.

He was accused of being in the illegal possession of items of cultural heritage and relapsing.

In its decision, the court presided by Magistrate Aaron Bugeja, opted not to inflict the maximum punishment, noting that this would result in a “disproportionate” jail term exceeding 20 years.

It ordered a psychological assessment of the defendant and placed him under a treatment order.

The man was not found guilty of relapsing, with the court saying a copy of the 2012 judgment handed by Magistrate Marseann Farrugia had not been found.