Man jailed for eight years over violent armed robbery that left victim permanently injured<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The court heard the victim was assaulted and restrained during the incident, while the offenders used violence and threats to carry out the theft.<\/p>\n
Markovic was also found guilty of illegally detaining the victim against his will and inflicting grievous injuries that resulted in permanent health complications.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The prosecution and the defence had jointly informed the court that Markovic intended to admit to the charges.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The court also referred to established case law on sentence reductions following guilty pleas.<\/p>\n
Markovic was sentenced to an effective prison term of eight years.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Any firearms licence held by Markovic was also revoked.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Maurice Meli was parte civile. <\/p>\n