Youths admit to night-time Valletta snatch and run

Two youths pleaded guilty to snatching a necklace off the neck of a minor girl in court on Friday. 

The police accused Naser Karim Huseyn, 21, from Syria of carrying out a night-time snatch and run in a Valletta garden on Wednesday evening, while 17-year-old Yousef Alhajyousef, also from Syria, was charged as his accomplice. 

Police inspector Kevin Pulis told the court that a report had come in at the Valletta police station where a minor girl and her father reported the theft of a necklace, not worth more than €23.29, that had been snatched off the girl’s neck.

The girl provided a detailed description of both the accused which led to their subsequent arrest. 

Assisted by an interpreter, both Huseyn and Alhajyousef expressed that they wished to admit to the charges and confirmed their decision to Magistrate Victor George Axiak. 

Pulis told the court that in view of the ages of the accused and their otherwise clean criminal record, the prosecution was not seeking effective jail time.

He further explained that Huseyn’s arrest had also caught the attention of immigration officials who were now reviewing his status in the country.

Due to the temporary nature of the permit he has to...