A Libyan man was jailed for a total of two years and his accomplice was handed a suspended sentence after the pair pleaded guilty to robbing a foreigner after holding him at knifepoint.

Ali Muftah, 23, and Morat Abdikadir Mohammed Naswan, 24, who both reside at the Hal Far open centre, were pleaded guilty to robbing a man of €100 at the Valletta bus terminus on 15 December 2014.

They were charged with committing a violent robbery, holding the victim against his will and causing him to fear that violence would be used against him. Mr Naswan was further charged with being in possession of a knife and using to commit a crime while Mr Muftah was also charged with breaching the conditions of a previous suspended sentence and relapsing.

The court heard how the two accused cooperated with the police and returned the stolen money. While Naswan had a bigger part in the theft, he had a clean record and was a first time offender. On the other hand Mr Muftah was serving a suspended sentence.

The defence argued that the amount stolen was minimal and the crime committed should not carry a jail sentence. The court heard, however, how the accused were regular cannabis users and was not ideal candidates for community work. The accused said they had resorted to drugs because of the trauma they experienced in Libya, where one of them was jailed.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera jailed Mr Muftah for 12 months and also turned his previous 12 month suspended sentence into an effective one, meaning that he was jailed for a total of two years. She recommended to the prison director to give psychological help to Mr Muftah and also help to kick his drug and alcohol problem. Mr Muftah is currently facing separate procedures in which he admitted to stealing a handbag from a Paceville club and being in possession of cannabis resin.

On the other hand the Magistrate handed down a two year jail sentence suspended for four years to Mr Naswan. He was also fined €250 and placed under a two-year treatment order.