A well-known Valletta jeweller paid a jewellery thief €20,000 for €330,000 worth of stolen goods, a court heard yesterday.

Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona banned publication of the jeweller’s name and the name of the companies he has.

The jeweller, 53, from Attard, is charged with buying stolen jewellery worth more than €2,333, and with relapsing, in August, 2011.

Glen Debattista has pleaded guilty that together with his son and another person they stole half a million euros worth of gold and jewellery from a Valletta outlet. He said his and his son’s share of the haul was worth €330,000, for which the accused jeweller paid them €20,000.

Debattista said that he, his son Ryan and Carmel Hartley had carried out the theft from Pjazza Antiques in South Street, Valletta on 8 August, 2011. Debattista said he had remained outside. They had made their way into the jewellery by removing a stone slab from the shop next door.

The three then went home and divided the stolen objects, which all had a price tag on them, among themselves.

Debattista said he had sold the stolen jewellery to the accused over a period of six weeks, going to him four times. The first time he was given €5,000, then €6,500, then €3,900 and the fourth time €4,200. He used to call for the money at the outlet the accused has in Birkirkara.

He had always negotiated with the accused, and told him that the jewellery and gold objects were hot. Whenever he called at the accused’s shop, he would switch off the CCTV camera. The accused had sold a €30,000 ring for him, for which he gave €2,000 to Debattista. That was why he took the stolen goods to him in lots, because he realised the jeweller was deceiving him, Debattista testified.

He went to the accused because they knew each other, the accused knowing him as “Il-Furjaniz”. Their transactions were carried out towards the end of August up to the beginning of September 2011.

Alfred Borg, owner of the burgled jewellery, said the theft had been carried out on 8 August, 2011 between 6 and 7am. His door had not been forced, the thieves made their way in after removing a stone slab from the adjoining shop, and they had smashed everything in the shop and removed the jewellery from the showcases.

Borg said there had been over half a million euros’ worth of gold and jewellery. He knows the accused from television. Borg said he was not insured, because he had not found any company willing to insure him. There could have been more objects that had been stolen.

Borg has been in the business for about 38 years. He said he likes buying from auctions and he takes photographs of the objects he buys. Replying to a question by defence lawyer Michael Sciriha he said he could not find someone to insure for that amount. He had spoken to some brokers buy they had told him he had to lock up some of the jewellery in a safe, otherwise they would not take the risk.

Inspector Joseph Mercieca prosecuted.