Silvio Pace, a man who is infamous for his criminal track record found himself in court today after he was charged with stealing some €4,000 from an apartment in Xemxija.
Mr Pace had been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after he was found to be involved in an explosion of an apartment block, which contained retail outlets at the ground floor, killing a mother and her baby son in 1992. Following his release, the accused had been convicted of other offences, including aggravated theft from the Labour Party Club in Sannat and from a store room in Kercem. He had been handed a three-year probation order last December.
The accused, 48 from Hamrun, pleaded not guilty to the charges of relapsing, theft and causing damage to the Xemxija apartment. The crime had allegedly taken place on Saturday morning.
Lawyer Emanuel Bianco, representing the accused, put forward a request for bail, which was objected to by prosecuting inspector Nicholas Vella on the bases that civilian witnesses still had to testify.
Dr Bianco pleaded with the court not to reprimand him in custody, as his client was reforming himself and therefore placing him in a prison surrounding would put his efforts to go down the right path in jeopardy. The lawyer also said that Mr Pace had plans to attend his grandchild’s baptism later today, adding that he was also the sole care-taker for his elderly mother.
The courts ultimately sided in favour of the prosecuting inspector and denied bail, however it did allow the accused to attend his grandchild’s baptism under police escort.