A 32-year-old man from Cospicua was acquitted of theft in a case going back 12 years after a court ruled that there was insufficient evidence.

Allan Grima had been charged with stealing two 10-inch speakers from a Ford Escort, worth around LM80, and also stealing a driller and a chaser from a van, worth LM80 and LM115. He was further charged with receiving stolen items, damaging the vehicles, driving a car without a licence and insurance and relapsing.

The court heard how the owner of the van had reported seeing Mr Grima in a car owned by his partner at the scene, on the night his vehicle was broken into. He claimed that he gave chase in his car but Mr Grima managed to speed off. The witness said he had also seen a car belonging to a certain Amadeo Pace at the scene.

The police had arrested Mr Pace, who had first told them that his car had gone missing and ended up near the scene of the crime. He later admitted that he had filed a false report in order not to become a suspect in the crime. He said he had lied because on the night of the incident, Mr Grima had asked him for a screw driver to fix the mirror of his car but had instead use it to break into the two vehicles.

On the other hand, Mr Grima’s partner, Carmen Grech, told the police that the accused was asleep all night after they went out drinking the evening before.

The accused also insisted that he was asleep denied breaking into the vehicles and stealing. He also denied being with Amadeo Pace. He said he had offered the police to fingerprint him but an inspector had declined the offer.

The court noted that the police had failed to present Amadeo Pace as a witness before he was killed in a traffic accident. As such, all that there was left was hearsay and a report, by one of the other witnesses who had placed the accused at the scene but had not witnessed the actual crime. The only person who claimed to have seen Mr Grima steal from the vehicles was Mr Pace, who had since died and had never testified in court.

Magistrate Conseulo Scerri Herrera said the charges were not proven beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted Mr Grima. Inspector Anthony Cassar prosecuted.