Three men have been remanded in custody after being charged with a high-value apartment burglary in Gżira, with one of the co-accused additionally facing charges for a knife-point robbery on a delivery driver.

Fanuel Medhanie, 20, Paul Michael Kavanagh, 48, and Alexander Antony Gia Whiteford, 43, all pleaded not guilty to the charges. Kavanagh is linked to a hold-up at a jewellery shop back in 2010, stealing €100,000 worth of jewellery, while Whiteford, holding a 55-page criminal record is facing charges of defrauding a woman by obtaining money through false pretences the amount of €167,000. 

While Kavanagh and Whiteford are facing charges of aggravated theft, Medhanie is facing separate charges of aggravated theft whereby violence was used, as well as detaining the person against their own well. 

The trio, also facing charges of recidivism and breach of bail conditions, pleaded not guilty to the charges. No request for bail was made during their arraignment.

The court heard that between 10 June and 11 June a residence in Gżira was broken into. The homeowners immediately reported the incident to the police, reporting that various luxury items, including high-end handbags, perfumes, and electronics valued at approximately €18,000 had been stolen.

Investigators reviewing CCTV footage from the area managed to establish that three individuals were involved in the heist. However, a major breakthrough in identifying the suspects came nearly a week later following a separate, violent crime.

On 17 June, a man was targeted in a knife-point robbery, also in Gżira. The victim was threatened with a blade and robbed of €180 in cash. When police analysed CCTV footage, they recognised the perpetrator as one of the three men involved in the €18,000 apartment burglary.

The next day, patrolling officers spotted Medhanie sleeping on a bench inside the Gżira public garden and immediately placed him under arrest. Later that same day, police tracked down and arrested the remaining two accomplices, who were already familiar to police through previous criminal reports.

The prosecution noted that none of the three men cooperated with the police during their interrogation.

Given the gravity of the offences, their criminal records, and the lack of a fixed address, the defence made no request for bail. The court ordered that all three men be held in custody at the Corradino Correctional Facility as the compilation of evidence begins.

Legal aid lawyer Silvan Pulis represented two of the accused, while lawyer Ishmael Psaila appeared for Whiteford. 

The prosecution was led by Inspectors Stephen Gulia and Christina Delia, together with AG lawyer Krista Spiteri Lucas.

Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia presided over the arraignment.