Depty Naval and Davinder Singh were both found guilty of stealing a handbag from a 72-year-old woman containing a cochlear implant processor worth nearly €10,000 and were subsequently sentenced to four years imprisonment. 

The pair faced various accusations including aggravated theft, use of false identities to deceive the victim as well as fraudulent gain, with Naval separately being accused of breaching bail conditions. 

The Court, presided over by Magistrate Gabriella Vella, noted that the prosecution successfully proved that, on 2 January 2023, shortly after midnight, the defendants had stolen the woman’s handbag at Triq it-Turisti in St. Paul’s Bay, and shortly after attempted to use credit cards which were also held in that bag. It was further recalled that the theft of the processor caused great difficulty to the victim who faced difficulties with hearing. 

The men were consequently found guilty of aggravated theft, but not of the other charges. Naval was also found guilty of breaching court orders. 

The Court considered the nature of the crime of which the defendants were convicted as well as the age of the victim. It was also noted that the defendants never, even when asked about what had been done with the handbag in an attempt to retrieve the processor, showed remorse for their actions. 

The Court consequently sentenced both defendants to a four-year effective prison sentence. The pair were furthermore ordered to pay the sum of €4,145 in court expenses.

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