Matthew Camilleri has been jailed for five years and fined €5,000 for a series of aggravated thefts, attempted robberies, police evasion and breaches of bail conditions.
The case, presided over by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, included a comprehensive list of charges spanning multiple thefts, police assaults, and violations of court orders which occurred between November 12 and 20, 2020.
Camilleri, together with his accomplice Sarah Zammit, was linked to at least three robberies or attempted robberies across Birkirkara, Santa Venera, and Balzan.
The pattern was similar in each case: Zammit would distract store employees while Camilleri seized cash from unattended registers.
CCTV footage and witness testimonies confirmed their coordinated efforts, including their arrival in a silver Peugeot 207 with a black driver-side door, registered to another individual who loaned the vehicle to Camilleri.
Notably, one of the incidents involved Camilleri threatening a shop employee with a knife, although no weapon was ultimately seen on the surveillance footage. Zammit, who eventually admitted her role, described how she would lure shop staff to the back of the store while Camilleri executed the thefts.
Camilleri’s actions escalated after police identified him as a suspect. He attempted to evade arrest by fleeing from officers at his residence in Gżira, using a deceptive excuse to slip away through a malfunctioning garage door.
He was later apprehended in the grounds of a nearby school. During arrest, he physically resisted and threatened the officers, resulting in additional charges of assaulting and obstructing police officers.
Further compounding his legal troubles, Camilleri violated multiple bail conditions imposed by earlier court rulings and failed to appear for a required police appointment. He also falsely claimed that another individual had stolen his mobile phone in an attempt to deflect blame.
Throughout the investigation, mobile phone data, CCTV analysis, and eyewitness accounts played a critical role in identifying Camilleri and linking him to the crimes.
His accomplice Zammit, who initially refused to testify citing their personal relationship and the fact that he fathered her child, eventually gave a full account of their criminal collaboration.
Camilleri was declared a recidivist based on previous convictions.
In handing down the sentence, the Court noted “The accused is a danger and a serious risk to society, ready to deprive it of what it has worked hard for through effort and skill. Camilleri is a person driven by total indifference to the needs and necessities of others, taking what he was not capable of earning himself due to a life of laziness and crime that he chose.”
The Court added “His place is not in the community, and certainly not with his family either. Even his own family has given up on him.”
Police inspectors Lydon Zammit and Stephen Gulia prosecuted.
