A 28-year-old man was sentenced to a total of five years and eight months in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing over Lm1,000 worth of seacraft items.

Christopher Spiteri, of Naxxar, admitted stealing from St Paul’s Bay garage on 26 February 2001. He stole over Lm1,000 worth of seacraft items to the detriment of John Bugeja. He also caused more than Lm500 worth of damage to the garage and another five garages in the area.

Spiteri also pleaded guilty to heroin possession, to committing the crimes during the operative period of several suspended sentences and to relapsing in view of previous convictions.

When handing down judgment, the court noted that the man’s criminal record comprised a 26-page booklet. “It is evident that he has not made most of the opportunities presented to him. Instead he has stubbornly chosen to continue down the criminal path,” magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera said.

She therefore said that his punishment would be severe. The magistrate sentenced him to three years in prison for the theft, damage and heroin possession. However, this resulted in a total of five years and eight months once the suspended sentences came into effect.

Inspector Jeffrey Azzopardi prosecuted.