Shopkeeper in tears as she tells court how three men entered her shop carrying a pistol

Witnesses today were called to appear in front of the court to describe their experience when three young men stole from their stores in Gzira and San Gwann.

A convenience shop owner tearfully described the moment when two masked men walked in holding a gun in their hands as they forced her to hand over money.

20-year-old Kane Grima, 27-year-old Perrie Daniel Amarni Sciberras and 19-year-old Josef Galea are being charged with a string of aggravated thefts from shops in the Gzira area. The thefts were carried out between January and March of this year.

Pamela Sant said the men entered her shop at around 9pm on 2 March. She explained that the two men were wearing a balaclava to cover their faces. The taller one of the two was holding a silver gun and the other one was holding a bag.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud heard various other testimonies which revealed a similar pattern in the way the accused men conducted their hold-ups. The witnesses said that the men entered the shops at the time when they would be counting the money at the cashier.

It was always the taller one who held the pistol and ordered the shop-keepers to hand the money. A secondary person would hold the back or stand by the door to see if anyone is coming while the third man would be sitting in a car outside waiting. Witnesses say the car was a modern Fiat.

Another witness told the court that when the men entered the shop in Gzira, he stared at the gun trying to see if it was real or not. The same witness said he tried to identify the thieves through their eyes, as it was the only part of their face which was not covered, but he could recognize the face.

The shop-owner said that once one of the thieves moved to leave the shop, he tried to push the other one. He told the court he couldn't say if the person behind the mask was a man or a woman.

The defence lawyers asked the court for bail for the accused who had been remanded in custody on 18 March, but the Magistrate denied their request.

Inspectors Jonathan Ransley and Carlos Cordina prosecuted. Lawyers Kathleen Grima, Franco Debono, Amadeus Cachia and Andrew Sciberras appeared for the accused.

from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/1q2bdlb
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