A man released on probation just last month found himself back in front of a magistrate on Sunday, being charged with the theft of a mobile and two handbags.

Stephen Chircop, 56, from Żebbuġ admitted to stealing a mobile phone worth around €230 in Valletta as well as two handbags from a Valletta boutique in the span of a day.

However, both the prosecution and the defence agreed that the difficult circumstances in which the accused found himself had led him to commit the offences.

Prosecuting inspector Gabriel Micallef told Magistrate Rachel Montebello that on Saturday police responded to a report of theft of two handbags from a Valletta shop, estimated to be worth around €10 each.

While reviewing the CCTV footage at the establishment, police received another report from a woman who said that her mobile phone had been snatched from her hands while she was walking in Valletta.

Officers came upon the accused in the vicinity and after searching him discovered the stolen phone on his person.

Legal aid lawyer Leontine Calleja, who was assisting Chircop, told the court that the accused had a requisition order against him that took up most of his salary and left him in precarious circumstances and with very little funds to take care of himself.

She added that she was advising Chircop on what steps to take to remedy the situation and asked the court to consider suspending jail time as he had returned the mobile phone and cooperated freely with the police.

The inspector interjected to add that Chircop had told the police that he was living without electricity as it had recently been shut off and was teetering on the edge of homelessness as he had not paid his rent for some time.

The accused does not have a drug problem and the police had come to the understanding that he committed the crimes due to his difficult situation, Micallef said.

The magistrate sentenced Chircop to a six-month jail term suspended for 18 months, on the condition that he does not commit another crime during this time or face effective jail time.

Chircop was also ordered to follow the direction of his appointed probation officer and to pay back €20 to the owner of the shop from which he stole the handbags.

Chircop was released on probation last month after he admitted to stealing food from Valletta outlets because he was hungry.