An inmate, who is in prison after being convicted of four murders and three jail escapes, among others, was yesterday jailed for another six years after pleading guilty to a number of charges including the theft of a car and the possession of a knife.

Instead of facing a trial by jury, Mosbah Mohsen Ben Ibrahim pleaded guilty to committing a number of crimes after he ran away from prison on 29 March 2000.

He pleaded guilty to threatening a motorist who was driving close to prison at the time of the escape and the theft of his car. Along with a number of other inmates, Mohsen drove to Ghajn Tuffieha where they broke into a room at the Hal Ferh Holiday Complex. He also pleaded guilty to being in possession of a sharp and pointed instrument and resisting the police when he was caught. He also pleaded guilty to relapsing.

Mohsen had originally also been charged with escaping from prison but since the prison authorities had already taken action against him in prison, the prosecution dropped this charge. In its judgement, the Constitutional Court presided over by Mr Justice Gino Camilleri, said that the inclusion of this charge in the bill of indictment was in violation of his fundamental human right to a fair trial and to freedom from being tried twice for the same offence.

It resulted that the accused had lost almost 2,000 days of remission and had spent a number of days in solitary confinement.

Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono heard Mohsen pleading guilty to the charges brought against him. He jailed him for six years in jail.

Mohsen is in jail for life for killing four people in 1988. He has been convicted of the murder of Englishman Peter Read, found dead with 12 stab wounds and five gunshot wounds on a yacht in February 1988.

He was also found guilty of the murder of taxi drivers George Cucciardi on the outskirts of Zurrieq and Alfred Darmanin, found dead in his taxi at Lascaris Ditch in Floriana.

The fourth murder was that of young Frenchman Guillaume André Michel

Leveret, who was shot and dumped in Grand Harbour.

Dr Lynn Zahra appeared for the accused.