A Somali man has been jailed for six months after he pleaded guilty to having been in possession of a stolen mobile phone and to relapsing.

Mustafa Mohamud Mohamed, who resides in a tent village in Hal Far, has had several previous convictions and was originally charged with stealing the phone, but this was dropped during the proceedings.

Police Inspector Matthew Spagnol, prosecuting, told the court how the accused had been arrested at around 1am in Paceville on 19 March. He said that the accused was found to be in possession of a Samsung mobile phone, which had reportedly been stolen from a young woman in Paceville.

The phone was returned to its rightful owner.

Inspector Spagnol argued that stolen mobile phone had established a pattern, because the accused had already been convicted of theft in the past. He said it shows repeat behaviour and emphasised the importance of handing out a prison sentence.

Defence lawyer Josette Sultana argued against the prosecution’s reasoning, and stressed that the phone had been returned to the owner and now harm had been caused.

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale, taking into consideration the accused’s guilty plea and the fact that the theft charged had been dropped by the prosecution, found the man guilty and convicted him to six months imprisonment.