A 30-year-old man from Kalkara was conditionally discharged for two years yesterday after pleading guilty to buying or being in possession of two stolen car stereos.

Before magistrate Michael Mallia, Christopher Borg pleaded guilty to possessing a Kenwood and a Clarion car stereo that had been stolen some time earlier. He was conditionally discharged for two years.

Later, another man, 42-year-old Maurizio Massimiliano from Msida, was charged with stealing the two car stereos on 28 December and the preceding days. Massimiliano, who was also charged with relapsing, pleaded guilty to stealing the Kenwood stereo but not the Clarion.

Dr Beppe Fenech Adami, who appeared for Massimiliano, requested the court to grant his client bail. But prosecuting officer Mario Tonna objected on the grounds that Massimiliano was not trustworthy. He said the prosecution had a number of witnesses who still had to testify in court. Among them, he said, was Borg, who had earlier pleaded guilty to possessing the two stereos.

He explained that, during their investigations, the police had organised a confrontation between Borg and Massimiliano and the latter, he said, had tried to assault the other man, who is one of the prosecution’s main witnesses.

Magistrate Mallia turned down Massimiliano’s request for bail and remanded him in custody.

Dr Franco Debono and Dr Charmaine Cherrett appeared for Borg.