A man accused of stealing six pairs of shoes, four of which have already been returned, has been handed a six-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months.

The court heard how the 43-year-old man from Georgia, who lives in Mellieħa, was caught on CCTV rummaging through an unattended basket placed by a yacht on a mooring pontoon at the Vittoriosa Marina.

The incident happened on September 24 in the afternoon. Inspector Eman Hayman said the victims were claiming that the total cost of the shoes amounted to €800. Four of the pairs were specifically used for maintenance work on the yacht, while the other two pairs were running shoes. 

Inspector Hayman noted that footage showed the accused in the area with three other colleagues who worked for a cleaning company. While the other three went on their way, he was caught on camera looking through the basket. The man told his colleagues that he had been told him the shoes were free and that they could help themselves, the inspector said, but the footage did not show anyone approaching him beforehand, he added.

The accused pleaded guilty, although he clarified that he took the shoes as he thought they had been thrown away. Legal aid Fransina Abela, who said the arrest was uncontested, noted that the accused had taken them from a public place, and he had returned them immediately.

Four of the pairs have since been retrieved. Two others are with one of the accused’s colleagues, who is currently in Italy. They will be returned in the coming days.

Magistrate Rachel Loporto Montebello presided over the case.