A 71-year-old man has been jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of receiving stolen goods and relapsing, but he was cleared of theft.

Arthur Montesin, from Paola, was found guilty of handling screws and rat traps which had been stolen from Continental Postform Ltd in Marsa.

The court, presided over by magistrate Miriam Hayman, ruled that the prosecution had not managed to prove that Montesin had stolen the items but only that he had handled them and had passed them on to other people.

Magistrate Hayman also found Montesin guilty of relapsing and therefore jailed him for 18 months.

Police Inspector Jeffrey Cilia prosecuted.