A night duty manager who should have been at work was caught with a stolen pistol and burglary-related items at 3.30 a.m. on Wednesday, a court heard yesterday.
Jeffrey Busuttil, 34, from Mqabba, who has already served time in prison for carrying out hold-ups and other related crimes, was spotted by police officers on the beat acting suspiciously while accompanied by another man.
When they realised the officers were on to them, the men fled and the police only managed to catch Mr Busuttil. He was found to be carrying a stolen pistol worth €2,500, tools normally used to break open locks, two screwdrivers, a gripper and a pair of gloves, Police Inspector Ian Abdilla said.
Mr Busuttil yesterday denied stealing the pistol, handling stolen property, being in possession of a firearm without the necessary licence, being in possession of drugs and false money, driving dangerously and relapsing.
Defence lawyer Arthur Azzopardi told the court his client had studied and got his A-levels while in prison and had managed to keep down a job as a duty manager with a hotel. He argued his client was in fact on his day off, when he could do as he pleased, when he was arrested. Taking into consideration the seriousness of the charges, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli remanded him in custody.