A 16-year-old boy was placed under probation for two-and-a-half years after he admitted to being an accomplice in theft from a Qormi factory.

The minor, who cannot be named by court order, meekly said he was supposed to start school on Monday when asked about his job.

The teenager was arrested at his mother's residence in Birkirkara.

Magistrate Gabriella Vella warned him that failure to abide by his probation's terms could see him face between eight months and four years in prison.

"Do not end up in prison. You don't need to," she told him.

Inspector John Spiteri prosecuted and lawyer Martha Mifsud appeared for the teen.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.