A burglar was convicted today after having been identified by a resident who watched him burgle his house. 

William Agius, was recognised by a young man who lived in the house he broke into on February 28, 2010 at about 1.30pm. He was condemned to an eight-month jail term suspended for a year for stealing old coins, worth over €2,300.

William Bondin, a man in his early 20s, explained that on the day, his parents went out. Some time later he heard the main door slam and the dogs started barking.

He left the house from the back door and went to his cousin's house to tell him that he suspected there were burglars in his home. Mr Bondin and his cousin went to have a look and saw a man carrying a white bag in the living room. Another two men were also in the house.

Mr Bondin later identified the man in the living room during two identity parades.

Mr Bondin and his cousin also took note of the registration number of the getaway car. The police established that the vehicle was registered on Mr Agius.

In his defence, Mr Agius insisted that his car was being used by his girlfriend's brother. At the time he was having lunch at his mother's house. His mother confirmed this.

A bag of coins was found in Mr Agius's home.

Defence lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri argued that the girlfriend's brother resembled Mr Agius but the police had failed to include him in the identification parade. The court said this was a shortcoming of the prosecution.

However, the court felt that there was enough evidence to find Mr Agius guilty.