A man with a twenty-year drug habit was sentenced to one year in jail after admitting to a series of thefts committed over the weekend from various locations in Ħamrun and Marsa.

Allan Grima, 34, will for the coming year swap his Kalkara residence for the Corradino Correctional Facility after being declared guilty upon his own admission of having in the early hours of Sunday morning broken into a Peugeot parked in Ħamrun.

During the same night, the accused allegedly attempted to steal from two other vehicles in Marsa. Later on, he managed to get away with €100 in cash, a pair of spectacles worth €300 and personal documents belonging to the owner of another vehicle.

Other items worth some €165 were stolen from another car. The accused was also found guilty of having made off with a number of personal belongings worth some €230 from a car parked in Ħamrun at around 2.30pm yesterday.

The court heard how the accused allegedly committed the thefts to fund his drug habit after failing to receive his dose of methadone.

The court, presided by magistrate Joseph Mifsud, declared the accused guilty and condemned him to a jail term of one year. However, taking note of the man's serious drug problem, the court recommended that the prison director provide him with all necessary help and treatment, including psychological support, to ensure that the accused would finally overcome his addiction.

"Your criminal record sheet is worthy of a novel. However, today I want to help you," the magistrate explained to the accused. "You have a choice between life or death."

Inspector Elliott Magro prosecuted. Lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar was legal aid.