A construction worker on Friday pleaded not guilty to stealing a number of aluminium windows and doors.

Joseph Galea, 28, was charged with stealing some 50 windows and six doors from Crocefisso Gauci, in San Ġwann on Wednesday.

He was also charged with being a relapser.

Prosecuting, police inspector Leeroy Balzan Engerer said he did not have a problem with the accused’s request for bail, as long as he kept his distance from the victim.

Mr Galea’s lawyer, Mario Mifsud, told the court, presided by Magistrate Claire Micallef Stafrace, that he knew the accused personally and had helped him find a job on a construction site next to where the alleged offence had taken place.

He explained that his client had come upon financial difficulties and was struggling to support himself.

Although his client had had previous cases of theft, he had started on the road to recovery, showed he was willing to cooperate, and wanted to get his life in order.

“His life took a turn for the worse when he had to pay child maintenance but did not have the money,” Dr Mifsud told the court.

Mr Galea was given bail against a curfew, and directed to work at a different construction site.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.