A 26-year-old Somali national pushed a 74-year-old man off a bus stop bench in Hamrun and stole his wallet containing €1,000. Caught on CCTV, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 years effective imprisonment.
Court of Magistrates (Malta) — Criminal · Magistrate Dr. Leonard Caruana LL.D. · 27 March 2026
On 27 February 2026 at around 2:30pm, Saviour Fleri (74 years old) was sitting on a bench at the Blata l-Bajda bus stop in Hamrun. A stranger approached him, tried to speak to him, then pushed him, dragged him and threw him to the ground. The attacker grabbed Fleri's brown wallet containing €1,000 cash and his driving licence, then ran towards a nearby petrol station. Fleri went immediately to the police station to report the incident. Police gathered CCTV footage from multiple locations in the area and identified Farhan Adan Mohammed as the attacker. Mohammed was charged with: violent qualified theft from an elderly person (the victim was 74, a legally recognised aggravating factor), elder abuse causing physical or mental suffering, vagrancy, and begging in public. At the hearing on 17 March 2026 Mohammed entered a guilty plea to all charges, which he confirmed again at the sentencing hearing. The court noted it was his first time in trouble with the law and that he showed remorse. The court ordered him to repay the full €1,000 stolen and pay €1,622.42 in expert costs. A restraining order was issued protecting the victim Saviour Fleri. Despite the mitigating factors, the court considered that a sentence of effective imprisonment was necessary but kept it towards the minimum end.
Guilty on all 4 charges. Sentenced to 4 years effective imprisonment plus reprimand. Must repay €1,000 to victim. Expert costs of €1,622.42. Restraining order issued protecting victim.
Criminal Code Ch. 9 Arts. 257, 261, 262, 267, 274, 276A, 277, 279, 280, 338(w), 338(x) — violent theft, elder abuse, vagrancy, begging