A man who was found in possession of two stolen coffee machines was jailed for 13 months today after the court considered that he was a relapser and had a history of delinquency.

The court, however, said it was handing Sandro Degabriele, 31 of Cospicua, the minimum sentence because he had helped the police locate other items stolen from the former barracks in Ghajn Tuffieha in 2007.

The haul, consisting mostly of catering equipment, which was valued at over €21,000.

During the trial, the court was told how the accused was approached while he was in prison and told about the stolen items. Once he was out, two coffee machines were handed for him to sell. He was also encouraged to sell the whole lot of stolen items.