A man, currently serving time in jail, has been handed a further 7-month term after admitting to the theft of a Piaggio Runner 125.

Janis Caruana, the 32-year old Valletta resident, was charged with having driven the bike without the owner’s permission, without an insurance cover and number plates, whilst breaching bail conditions and relapsing.

Prosecuting officer Inspector Kylie Borg told the court how police suspicions were aroused when the motorcycle was spotted in Qormi early one morning, bearing number plates which did not tally with the vehicle’s chassis number.

A check by the police soon revealed that the bike had been reported missing in Sliema last August.

Investigations put the police on the track of the prime suspect, the accused, who immediately confessed the theft, explaining how he had indeed swapped the bike’s number plates with those stripped from a scrapped vehicle.

The stolen bike was eventually returned to its lawful owner, the court was told.

In view of the man’s admission, Magistrate Charmaine Galea declared the accused guilty and condemned him to a 7-month jail term, as well as a total fine of €2,730 payable within 3 years from his release from jail.

The court also revoked the earlier bail conditions and ordered the forfeiture of €5,000 set under a personal guarantee, besides banning the accused from possessing a driver’s licence for 6 months.

Lawyers Veronique Dalli, Dean Hili and Andrew Saliba were defence counsel.