A former vegetable vendor was kept behind bars after pleading not guilty to an armed hold-up at a Sta Venera shop last Saturday.

Themi Attard, 46 of Birżebbuġa, broke down in tears at the end of his arraignment, during which he was charged with having committed the aggravated theft, unlawfully held the store owner against his will, carried a firearm without a licence and caused wilful damage to third party property.

The man, also charged as a recidivist, allegedly made off with some €500 in cash in the hold-up which took place at around 7pm.

A request for bail was strongly objected to by the prosecution in view of the serious nature of the charges. “This was a case of theft aggravated by violence, where the man was allegedly armed,” Inspector Lydon Zammit stressed.

Moreover, several civilians were still to testify including customers present during the hold-up and on two other occasions, earlier on that same day, when the suspect had allegedly visited the store to get an idea of the layout.

“He knows where these people live,” the inspector insisted, adding that the man needed help to overcome his drug problem, having several times stopped short of entering a rehabilitation programme.

“He needs help and to get it he must be in custody,” the prosecution insisted.

Mr Attard's defence lawyer, Mario Spiteri Bianchi, countered that his client had never landed an effective jail term. He had been facing difficult times on account of his wife’s serious illness over the past three years, the court was told.

Moreover, being sent to Corradino would likely result in more harm than good, the lawyer argued, pointing out that when the man’s sister had “knocked at doors” to seek help for her brother, she had been told that “there was a long wait, months on end.”

Magistrate Claire Louise Stafrace questioned whether the man would derive any benefit by being granted bail.

“What benefit would society draw if he is let out?” Inspector Fabian Fleri also intervened.

After hearing these submissions, the court turned down the request for bail since the man’s drug dependency did not augur well and besides, civilian witnesses were still to testify.

The court recommended that the man be detained at the Forensic Unit at Mount Carmel Hospital.

Inspector Stacy Attard also prosecuted.