Court convicts Moroccan man who fled, rules sentence already served

A Vilnius court has convicted Moroccan citizen Issam Toubali of theft and sentenced him to 60 days of arrest, but ruled he had already served the sentence while in custody, LRT reported on Monday. He has been held since August and is now detained in connection with an investigation into his escape from court.

The court rejected Toubali’s request to be released under the supervision of his Lithuanian girlfriend. Judge Rasa Volungevičienė said the couple frequently argued, and both had linked their relationship problems to the offence. The court also noted Toubali’s stated intention to move to France, where his mother lives, and said his escape raised concerns that he would not comply with the law.

The 23-year-old was convicted of breaking into a shop in the Šeškinė district in May, opening a cash register and stealing €1,700. He told the court he could not explain his actions and had argued with his girlfriend the day before.

Toubali escaped from the court grounds on October 13 while being taken to a police transport vehicle. He was arrested later that day on Debesijos Street. He did not attend Monday’s hearing announcing the verdict.

The judge said Toubali had been living in Lithuania without a valid residence permit and had received nine fines for traffic violations, none of which he had paid. He had said he came to Lithuania to study but stopped because of financial difficulties.