Romanians Grafian Caldararu, 37, Marius Stanescu, 20, and 36-year-old Gheorghe Stanescu were yesterday given a six months jail term suspended for two years by Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani after they admitted to committing a series of pickpocket thefts in different localities and on different dates, between the period 28 September and 15 October.

Prosecuting Police Inspector Christopher Pullicino told the court that the Romanians came to Malta with the sole intention of living off their “thefts” and knew before coming to Malta that they were ready to do so by “pick-pocketing”.

Among the objects which they stole were a wallet from a man in St Julian’s in the early hours of the morning on 3 October, a women’s purse from a jewellery shop and they also pinched a €50 note from the trouser pocket of a tourist who was residing at the ‘Danish Village Complex’, a holiday resort, last Friday.

They were represented in court by lawyer Roberto Montalto.