A court yesterday fined a woman Lm1,500 and jailed her for 18 months, bringing into effect a suspended prison term that had been imposed at an earlier date.

Alberta Amato, 20, from Gzira, was found guilty of stealing a motorcycle on 5 June 2006 in Gzira. However, the court noted that she was already under the operative period of a suspended prison sentence which had been imposed previously.

She was also found guilty of dangerous and careless driving and of driving without a licence and insurance cover. The court, presided over by magistrate Giovanni Grixti, activated the suspended sentence and ordered that she face a definitive 18-month jail term. She was also fined Lm1,500 and barred from obtaining a driving licence for a one-year period.