A magistrates’ court yesterday jailed a 46-year-old man for two years after he pleaded guilty to stealing money and a mobile phone.

Domenic Cuschieri, 46, from Senglea, pleaded guilty, before presiding magistrate Silvio Meli, to stealing a cash box, with less than e232/L/m100, from a Maltapost branch in Cospicua to the detriment of the Breast Cancer Support Group on 5 January.

He also pleaded guilty to stealing a mobile phone worth around e163/Lm70 from a shop in Vittoriosa and stealing around e104.82/Lm45 in cash from a car parked in Senglea, to the detriment of Stephen Gatt, on 24 December.

He also pleaded guilty to relapsing.

Defence lawyer Ray Porcella Flores told the court that Cuschieri has had a drug problem for the last 26 years and has tried several times to attend a rehabilitation programme.

Magistrate Meli jailed Cuschieri for two years and issued a recommendation to the director of the Corradino Corrective Facility for Cuschieri to follow a drug rehabilitation programme.

Police inspector Alexander Grech prosecuted while Dr Ray Porcella Flores appeared for Cuschieri.