A 31-year-old man found in possession of gold stolen from a jeweller’s, was not found guilty of theft since it was not proven that he was the thief, and was acquitted because he was not charged with receiving stolen goods.
Paul Michael Kavanagh, from Attard, was charged with the hold-up which took place at around 6.50pm on 14 December, 2009, at Classic Jewellers in St Julians, and with holding the employee, Noella Xuereb, against her will.
Magistrate Doreen Clarke, who presided the court, said that although the accused did not convince her he was unaware that the gold had been stolen, the police had brought no proof that he had indeed committed the theft and at the same time he was not charged with possession of stolen goods.
A part of the gold stolen from the jeweller’s was found in the same car as the accused and a young woman, but Kavanagh insisted that he did not know the gold was stolen.
This meant that he could not be found guilty of theft or possession of stolen goods, and he was therefore acquitted. The prosecution was led by police inspector Joseph Mercieca.