Two men were yesterday accused of stealing a small boat in order to reach a dinghy tied to a cabin cruiser and attempting to steal the dinghy’s motor.

Antonio Bigeni, 19, from Pieta, and Clive Micallef, 23, from Hamrun, were charged with the boat’s theft and the attempted theft of the motor. Mr Micallef alone was accused of committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended sentence and with breaching court orders.

Bigeni, who was said to be a first time offender, pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him while Mr Micallef pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody after prosecuting officer Stephen Gatt objected to his request for bail because he said he was not trustworthy. He said he had previous convictions, which include a suspended sentence, an extension on the suspended sentence and a probation order.

Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna granted Bigeni bail and ordered him to appear in court on Monday for his judgement to be delivered.

Dr Jose Herrera assisted Bigeni while Dr Kris Busietta and Dr Jason Azzopardi appeared for Mr Micallef.