A man appeared in court today to be arraigned for a number of thefts he committed in the Paola area during December and January.

Jason Gatt, 37, is a self-confessed drug addict and has been accused of stealing a number of items from a supermarket in Paola. The items include a hair straightener, a shaver and alcoholic beverages.

Mr Gatt is also accused of stealing energy drinks from a separate mini market, a pair of Adidas shoes from a retail outlet and a set of headphones and speakers from a mobile telephony store.

The court heard how while each individual theft was of a minimum amount, the total value of the thefts are valued at roughly €400.

The defence, represented by lawyer Yanika Bugeja, told the court that Mr Gatt had a serious drug problem.

The accused's probabtion officer also appeared in court saying that he had only met Mr Gatt once since last December.

The accused did not make a plea reserving the right to plead guilty or otherwise in the course of another sitting scheduled for next week.

The court, presided by magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona, granted the accused provisional against a personal guarantee of €2,000.