Man jailed for eight years over violent armed robbery that left victim permanently injured

A Serbian national has been sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting to taking part in a violent armed robbery at a residence in Naxxar that left the victim with permanent injuries.

Viktor Markovic was convicted by the Criminal Court after pleading guilty to a series of charges linked to the robbery, which took place on 23 November 2022 at Victoria Mansions in Pjazza Toni Bajada.

According to court documents, Markovic acted together with other individuals in carrying out the robbery, during which more than €2,300 in cash was stolen from the victim. 

The court heard the victim was assaulted and restrained during the incident, while the offenders used violence and threats to carry out the theft.

Markovic was also found guilty of illegally detaining the victim against his will and inflicting grievous injuries that resulted in permanent health complications.

He was further convicted of possessing a firearm without the necessary licence while committing the robbery and of attempting to conceal the crime by destroying evidence before criminal proceedings began.

The prosecution and the defence had jointly informed the court that Markovic intended to admit to the charges.

During the hearing, the accused confirmed he understood the nature and consequences of his guilty plea, which the court accepted after ensuring it had been made freely and voluntarily.

In determining the sentence, Mr Justice Neville Camilleri considered several factors, including the seriousness of the offences, Markovic’s clean criminal record and his early admission of guilt.

The court also referred to established case law on sentence reductions following guilty pleas.

Markovic was sentenced to an effective prison term of eight years.

In addition, the court issued a protection order in favour of the victim for five years after the sentence expires and ordered the accused to pay more than €4,465 in expert costs.

Any firearms licence held by Markovic was also revoked.

Lawyer Maurice Meli was parte civile. 

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