Jail term changed to probation after man convinces court he has changed his ways

A man with an unruly past has had a seven-year effective jail term reduced to probation after showing a court that he had taken concrete steps to break away from bad company and old habits. Matthew Portelli, 35, had landed the conviction in 2019 as an accomplice in a series of cash thefts from 10 service stations over a three-month period back in 2011. The gang had also targeted a tools store and two vehicles, one of which, a Ford Transit, had been set on fire at Wied Qirda, Qormi, after being used in one of the petrol station raids. When handing out punishment two years ago, the Magistrates’ Court took note of the accused’s admission, quite late in the proceedings, as well as the man’s criminal record and the fact that his accomplice had been jailed for 7 years after likewise registering an admission to the same charges. Portelli filed an appeal, arguing that the punishment was excessive and claiming that he was striving to get his life back on track, having attained stability in both family life and work. The Court of Criminal Appeal, presided over by Madam Justice Edwina Grima, afforded the appellant an opportunity to prove this and heard the testimony of a probation officer,...