A suspected thief, chased down a Tal-Virtu’ street on Sunday by a resident who captured the whole episode on video, was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to aggravated theft on Tuesday.

Valletta resident Patrick Mangion, 46, was captured on camera by a vigilante resident hurrying off down a quiet side street in Rabat, hooded and wearing black, while swearing at the person shooting the footage, who repeatedly branded him "thief".

In the video, which quickly made the rounds on social media, the suspected thief tried to shrug off his pursuer for several minutes before being whisked away in a getaway car driven by a third party.

He was ultimately arrested, releasing a detailed statement about the events of that Sunday morning.

The man was escorted to court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to having stolen some €20 in cash from a parked Fiat, uttered obscene words in public, insulted the man who had chased him after the alleged theft, as well as breached two earlier bail decrees.

Defence lawyer Alfred Abela, when making submissions on bail, pointed out that the man had personally contacted the police and turned up to release his statement, alleging that he had been acting upon instructions by third parties who could possibly offer another dimension to this case.

Moreover, the whole incident was registered on footage and the man could be barred by the court from going to Rabat, Dr Abela went on.

However, prosecuting Inspector Robert Vella rebutted that not only were civilians still to testify but the accused was not trustworthy and the nature of the alleged offences was a serious one.

In the light of these objections, the court, presided over by magistrate Josette Demicoli, turned down the request for bail and remanded the man in custody.

Inspector Stacy Attard also prosecuted.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Rene Darmanin are also defence counsel.