PexelsCourt placed a 24-year-old Albanian national on probation and treatment orders after he admitted a three-week spree of thefts and fraud across several localities.
In his sentence, Magistrate Antoine Agius Bonnici said rehabilitation outweighed imprisonment, citing the man’s homelessness and addiction but warned that any breach or reoffending would trigger a jail term.
On Wednesday Andi Blakcori was found guilty of all 24 charges brought against him. The offences, committed between October and November 2025, included multiple thefts from hotels, restaurants, and hospitals in St Julian’s, Valletta, and Qormi, as well as possessing victims’ identity documents and fraudulently using stolen payment cards.
The court heard that Blakcori’s spree began after he learned his mother had been diagnosed with cancer, leading him into what the magistrate described as a “spiral of drug and alcohol abuse,” specifically crack cocaine.
He was arrested just two days after receiving a separate suspended sentence for an attempted robbery in Marsa.
In delivering the sentence, the magistrate emphasised rehabilitation over incarceration. The court noted Blakcori’s full cooperation with police, his early guilty plea, and “great progress” in his behaviour since being in custody. A pre-sentencing report by a probation officer recommended supervision and treatment to address his addiction.
Consequently, Blakcori was placed under a three-year probation order and a concurrent three-year treatment order. The court warned that any breach of these conditions or the commission of a new crime would result in an immediate prison sentence for the current charges.
The prosecution had requested a prison term at the lower end of the scale, acknowledging his cooperation. During proceedings, Blakcori’s defence lawyer stated they would explore the possibility of him serving any potential future sentence in Albania.
