A man who allegedly snatched two chains from the neck of an Italian tourist was remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to the charges.
Mohamed Abdirisak Ahmad, a 21-year old Somali-born, believed to reside in Malta, was the main suspect behind the snatch-and-run incident targeting the Italian.
Taking the witness stand, the Italian recalled how just a few hours earlier at around 3am, he had been walking back to his hotel when two men sidled up, one was a co-national and the other was a man wearing a green shirt and jacket, the latter identified as the suspect seated in the dock.
After approaching him with "small talk", the stranger suddenly snatched the gold and silver chains hanging around his neck. He had only bought them in the morning from a Valletta store for €350 and €140 respectively.
Although the victim had tried to give chase, the thief managed to get away in the rainy darkness. The Italian man later called the police from his hotel to report the theft.
The witness presented a receipt for the stolen necklaces obtained from the store where he had purchased them. This was exhibited in court together with a photo of the missing jewellery.
Upon being shown a green...
