Court Hears ‘Homeless’ Maltese Woman’s Tactic For Stealing Nearly €5,000 Worth Of Jewellery
A 40-year-old self-proclaimed homeless Maltese woman with a history of drug abuse was accused in courts today with robbing over €4,000 worth of jewellery from at least two different Maltese jewellers in the space of two months.
Alexia Margo Calleja – who has a registered residence in Tarxien – was accused of robbing around €3,000 in jewellery from Diamonds International in Republic Street, Valletta, as well as around €1,100 worth of jewellery from Victor Azzopardi Jewellers in St Anne Street, Floriana.
Inspectors Daryl Borg and Alfredo Mangion explained how Margo Calleja was able to get away with her heists
On 13th, July she had entered the Valletta outlet and, when approached by a sales representative, told them she was interested in looking at engagement rings as well as wedding rings.
As she was looking at the rings, she was able to distract the sales representative and slip the rings into her trouser pockets without the sales representative noticing.
Buoyant from her successful steal, she returned the very next day to the same store. However, she was not able to steal anything on her second visit.
A few weeks later, on the 6th and 7th of August, she entered the Floriana outlet and, employing a similar tactic of distracting the sales representatives, was able to steal some gold pendants.
However, she was caught on CCTV, and was identified by the police
She was accused of recidivism in light of her previous guilty convictions in court. She admitted to all of the accusations in front of Magistrate Joseph Mifsud Calleja.
Dr Noel Cutajar, who represented Margo Calleja, explained how her client suffered from a drug addiction, and this is what led her to commit her crimes. She had been battling drug addictions for the past decade, and had sold the stolen items to feed her habit.
In light of this, Magistrate Mifsud said he would give his final judgement on Monday morning, and said that Margo Calleja would be given a sentence that could also help her in getting rid of her drug addiction.
What do you think of this woman’s tactics?
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