British woman arrested in Malta after couple spot her 'wearing their stolen clothes'

A British tourist has been arrested in Malta after a couple claim they saw her wearing clothes from their stolen suitcase.

Shannon Leigh-Williams, 19, from Portsmouth, was also reportedly seen carrying a handbag from the misplaced luggage.

The couple spotted Miss Williams with identical belongings to their own during an outing in the coastal village of Xemxija.

CCTV footage reportedly shows the luggage being taken from the baggage claim area at Malta International Airport.

She was not on the same flight as the couple but had gained access to the baggage claim area at the airport after she showed her passport to the soldier on duty and explained that she had lost her luggage when she arrived in Malta on a Ryanair flight in May.

Ms Leigh-Williams appeared in court on Monday and initially refused to enter a plea.

According to the Daily Mail, she was fined £150 for contempt of court when she reportedly said magistrate Carol Peralta could "kiss my a***".

Ms Leigh-Williams told the court she had believed the suitcase was her own as it looked similar to hers, and she'd picked it up by mistake.

She claimed she owned identical dresses and a similar handbag.

According to the Times of Malta, magistrate Peralta said: "Are you trying to tell me that you happen to have eight identical dresses to these?"

When Shannon nodded, Peralta told her he did not believe her.

Her request for bail was denied and she pleaded not guilty when threatened with a higher fine.

She now awaits sentencing.