A tell-tale fingerprint has landed a man in prison for 30 months for burgling a farmhouse in Marsaxlokk nine years ago.

Raymond Galea, 52, from Marsaxlokk, was the prime suspect behind the robbery which took place one night in January 2008.

The owner of the farmhouse had discovered the break-in when he went to feed the animals.

In the course of investigations, the police came across the photocopied picture of a horse lying inside a showcase at the farmhouse. This was taken for forensic testing.

Acting upon a tip-off that Mr Galea might have been the culprit behind the robbery, the police questioned the man who, however, strongly denied the allegation. He insisted that he had never set foot inside the farmhouse.

However, forensic tests showed otherwise since one of the suspect’s fingerprints matched one of the markings retrieved from the picture taken from the crime scene.

The owner of the farmhouse had explained how he had covered the photo in plastic at a local stationery some eight years previously but had never passed it on to anyone and had never taken it outside his home.

Moreover he insisted that the accused was a complete stranger whom he had never invited into his home.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, concluded that on the basis of forensic proof there was sufficient evidence linking the accused to the theft. For this reason, the court declared the man guilty and condemned him to a jail term of 30 months.

Inspector James Grech prosecuted.