A man targeted the same Valletta pharmacy twice in less than a year, a court heard today.

The first theft at the Chemimart outlet in Republic Street took place on 13 November, 2013 with Stephen Dalli allegedly making off with two perfume bottles which were priced at €234 each.

Last 31 July, Mr Dalli struck again, this time making off with a donation box which was raising funds for Maltese missionaries abroad.

But this second attempt proved to be his undoing.

CCTV footage from both incidents showed that the perpetrator was the same person, and Mr Dalli – who has previous theft convictions – was identified.

When searched, he was found to be in possession of hundreds of small denomination coins - €6.45 in 1c coins, €11.54 in 2c coins and €7.25 in 5c coins to be exact – which are believed to have come from the donation box in question.

In court, Mr Dalli was identified as the perpetrator by the pharmacy’s branch manager Adrian Mifsud.

Mr Dalli is pleading not guilty; the case continues on 29 September.