Man jailed 3 years after mobile phones linked him to €25,000 burglary from elderly couple’s home

A burglar who stole over €25,000 from an elderly couple's Pieta home was caught after signals from his mobile phone placed him at the scene of the crime, a court has heard. The man was also recognized from a picture taken by a neighbour on her mobile phone.

Johan Pace, 39, was charged with aggravated theft, wilful damage to property, and relapsing in connection with the February 2008 burglary.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech heard how police had been warned about the burglary by a neighbour of the couple.

Police Inspector Mario Tonna told the court that the couple's front door had been "reduced to splinters."

The neighbour told the police that she had seen a suspicious-looking man lurking around the house some days before the burglary. She spotted him again on the day of the break-in. He was sitting on a bench, looking around holding his mobile phone.

Around 15 minutes later she heard loud banging noises and saw the man breaking the couple's front door in.

She said the man was wearing sunglasses and a beanie – these were later found in the car belonging to the accused.

Court experts said signals from the accused's mobile phone had been registered on two cell towers close to the scene of the crime from 9:18am to 10:04am that morning.

A defence witness, the mother of the accused's baby, said Mr Pace would occasionaly visit a nearby public garden with the infant. But the court noted that the woman had not mentioned this fact to the police during the investigation and that the accused himself had not been able to provide an explanation as to his presence in the area, during his interrogation by the police.

Magistrate Frendo Dimech remarked that someone who held his liberty and innocence dear would not have remained silent when faced by false and unjust accusations. The mother's testimony was deemed not credible by the court.

The accused was found guilty of all charges and was handed a three-year prison sentence. He was also ordered to repay the €25,623 he had stolen.

The court also imposed a restraining order, preventing Pace from approaching the elderly couple's and neighbour's families for three years after his release from prison. 

from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/1LS0RbV
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