A man battling a drug habit was sentenced to four years in jail after admitting to multiple theft and drug-related charges.

Manuel Abela, 25, had failed to grasp the helping hand offered to him by the courts on various occasions involving earlier brushes with the law, the court lamented. The theft for which he was arrested breached the provisions of a conditional discharge and a suspended sentence, besides his bail conditions.

The man was charged with having, in the early hours of April 13, broken into a supermarket in Żejtun, making off with some €100 in cash. He was also charged with causing damage to third party property. Another charge related to cocaine and heroin possession in amounts which indicated that the drug was not intended for personal use.

After taking note of the accused's voluntary and unconditional admission, the court declared that in spite of his early guilty plea, it could not ignore his criminal record sheet, which showed that in spite of being given several opportunities to mend his ways, he "had thrown away these chances and persisted down the wrong path”.

The court presided over by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech condemned the accused to a jail term of four years and brought into effect an additional five-month term imposed by an earlier suspended sentence. The court ordered the forfeiture of €5,500 imposed by way of a personal guarantee under a bail decree.

Finally, the court ordered the man to undergo a three-year rehabilitation programme for his drug addiction.

Inspector Charlotte Curmi prosecuted.