A man pleaded with a court on Friday not to send him to prison after he stole a mobile phone, insisting he had only committed the crime because he was hungry and had no money.

Abdi Ali Mahammed, 22, a Somalian residing in Paola, was sentenced to four months' imprisonment after he plead guilty to stealing a mobile phone from a woman in Marsa on March 15.

Represented by legal aid lawyer Denise Sultana, Mr Mahammad, a relapser, told the court how the mobile phone had been returned to its owner shortly after he had been apprehended.

"When I stole the phone I was hungry and had no money and I could not pay my landlord,” he said.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras took his plea into consideration but said she was bound by law to hand down a prison sentence.

Police Inspector Robert Vella appeared for the prosecution.

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