A drug addict has been sentenced to four years in jail after admitting to robbing an 89-year-old woman who was surprised at her Marsascala home last Sunday afternoon.

The conviction also included the attempted theft from a jewellery in St Paul's Bay two days earlier.

Johan Zammit, 41, from Marsascala, this morning was arraigned before Magistrate Francesco Depasquale and filed a guilty plea. The court heard that the crimes were motivated by the man's pressing need for cash to be able to satisfy his drug addiction.

In the case of the elderly woman, he also admitted to causing her slight injuries and stealing various jewellery items she was wearing whose worth exceeded €2,300.

Mr Zammit also pleaded guilty to the attempted theft from Beth Jewellery in Triq it-Trunciera in St Paul's Bay, which was foiled when the shop assistant refused to hand over the valuable items. Furthermore, he was also accused of driving a stolen BMW without an insurance policy and of relapsing.

When handing the punishment, the court ordered the prison authorities to provide the required treatment to help the accused overcome his drug addiction.

"Your time in jail will be an opportunity to reform yourself, as you are relatively young," Magistrate Depasquale told Mr Zammit. 

Police inspector Joseph Mercieca prosecuted, while lawyer Fransina Abela was legal aid.