A man who robbed a gas cylinder deliveryman of €1,700 has been handed a suspended sentence and forfeited the €10,000 bail bond relating to another offence.

Keith Cremona, 32, stole a cash-filled pouch from the cabin of a gas delivery truck while the owner was working at the rear of the vehicle.

The gas distributor told police he noticed the man acting suspiciously around his truck, at one point going underneath it, pretending to trim some weeds. At one point, he noticed the accused opening the cabin door and lifting up his cash pouch. He gave chase and nearly caught the hooded thief, but he managed to slip away.

The victim and his son identified the accused in the courtroom as the culprit had stopped and stared at them at one point while they were chasing him - before throwing away the empty pouch.

The court, presided over by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, said there was no doubt that it was Keith Cremona who had stolen the pouch and that he had been caught red handed.

The court further observed that despite the man’s alleged tainted criminal record, no evidence of his previous convictions was exhibited in court, meaning that he was to be regarded as a first-time offender.

In the light of such circumstances, the court condemned the accused to a one-year jail term, suspended for two years. It also ordered the confiscation of the man’s €10,000 bail guarantee.

It transpired that the man had not signed the bail book for six months.

Inspector Elliott Magro prosecuted. Lawyer David Gatt was defence counsel.