Two men charged with theft, Keith-Joseph Mallia and Vincent Sammut, today were denied bail.

Mr Mallia, unemployed, and Mr Sammut, a maintenance man, face charges of stealing a number of objects including copper from a garage on 8 July in Birzebbuga, worth around €800.

Keith-Joseph Mallia is also charged with breaking bail restrictions.

A resident had seen Mallia loading items into Sammut’s car near the Liquigas factory. The police found stolen batteries, copper and fuel inside the car.

Lawyer Gianella de Marco argued that while her client, Sammut, had a record, his previous convictions occurred years ago and were related to drugs, not theft.

Dr Dalli, representing Camilleri, argued that the charges were not alarming and that the witnesses had already given their testimonies to the police.

The prosecution disagreed and said that one of the accused knows a witness personally.

No bail was granted.