A necklace thief who had received a probation order has been jailed for eight years by an appeals court, which ruled that the original sentence was too lenient.
Jacob Rakban 24, from Mtarfa had admitted to a series of necklace thefts from elderly women in July 2016.
The Former Hamrun Spartans youth team player, who has a drug addiction problem, had admitted to charges of theft and attempted theft as well as relapsing.
His victims were all women aged between 55 and 83. The crimes were committed in Mosta, Naxxar, San Gwann and Qormi between 13 May and 16 June 2016.
Magistrate Audrey Demicoli had sentenced him to three years probation but the Attorney General had filed an appeal.
The appeals court, presided over by Madame Justice Edwina Grima, found that the first court had given an alternative punishment that was not envisaged in the law "neither was it deserved by Jacob Rakban."
The court noted how the charges carried a maximum sentence of seven years.
A probation officer also told the court that Rakban's behavior made did not make him an ideal candidate for probation.
The court said its hands were tied both by the law, as Rakban did not qualify for probation, and also by the rights of the victims, one of whom had been injured.
Only by jailing the accused could the courts do justice, not just with the victims but with society in general, the judge said.
The court hoped that Rakban would start following a drug rehabilitation programme again during his imprisonment.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2nCmiJX
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