A 41-year-old man was on Thursday arraigned on theft charges after the police traced him through CCTV footage.
Mark Scerri, from Marsascala, admitted stealing €350 in cash from a Zebbuġ garage and €430 from a Fgura hardware store in October.
The court heard how Mr Scerri had drug issues and a history of such thefts, but had managed to reform himself.
His last theft charge before this one was in 2010.
Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras ordered the drawing up of a pre-sentencing report.
The accused was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €7,000.
Inspectors Shawn Pawney and Hubert Cini prosecuted.Lawyers Amadeus Cachia and Franco Debono appeared for the accused.
