Two 16-year-olds have been granted bail while awaiting sentencing after confessing to assaulting a food courier with a hammer, seizing his motorbike and cellphone.
The incident transpired as the victim delivered an order near the Marsaxlokk football ground, prompting him to report the assault and robbery at the Birżebbuġa police station.
Apparently dissatisfied with the food, the recipients purportedly initiated an altercation with the courier. Allegedly, one of the defendants punched him, while the other employed a hammer, resulting in damage to the courier’s teeth.
Subsequently, the assailants fled on the stolen motorbike, taking the victim’s phone.
The teenagers’ identity was uncovered through their booking records. Initially claiming homelessness, one teenager, accompanied by his mother and legal counsel, later confessed during interrogation.
He guided the police to an abandoned alleyway residence where the stolen bike was concealed, already repainted to obfuscate evidence.
The prosecution posited that the premeditated act was evident due to the bike’s alteration. Both teens admitted guilt to multiple charges, including theft, wrongful detainment, assault, and attempted bodily harm. They were also accused of concealing evidence and trespassing.
While one defendant’s counsel suggested supervision, the other’s attorney cited cooperation and youthful misjudgment, advocating for probation. Pending their sentencing next week, they were released on bail, obligated to sign a bail register biweekly, secured by a €200 deposit and a €10,000 personal guarantee. To preserve their anonymity, the court imposed a name disclosure ban.
#MaltaDaily
