Malta
‘He wanted to kill me’: victim recalls horrific stabbing incident
The woman recounted incidents were the accused allegedly threw an axe at her and another time when took his daughter with him to try and buy a gun.File Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
A woman described how she was stabbed in her lungs, stomach, neck and chest by her estranged husband in front of her elderly mother thirteen years ago.
The alleged victim took to the stand on Wednesday, in an attempted murder case to recount a series of violent incidents that culminated in the attack in her mother’s home in Birkirkara in May 2011.
“I remember I was stirring the coffee with a spoon when I heard the front door open and by the sound the door made, I thought someone was robbing us,” the woman told the court.
is accused of allegedly stabbing his estranged wife six times in her mother’s house in Birkirkara back in May 2011.
The court has banned the publication of the parties’ names to safeguard the former couple’s children.
On Wednesday the court heard from the victim herself, who at the time of the alleged attempted murder was 41 years old.
She said she had spent time living in the shelter Dar Merħba Bik and also in another shelter in Għabex Gozo. She said that she felt constrained to do so because she was no longer safe at home.
“There were good things in the marriage, don’t get me wrong, but also a lot of problems, gambling problems (…) my life was miserable,” she recalled, her voice trembling.
Due to financial issues, she said there were days when there was no food in the fridge.
The witness said her ex-husband was often tense and stressed because of the amount of debt he had gotten into trying to handle his gambling addiction.
She also recalled her ex would often drink to forget.
“I could not live my life like this,” she added.
On one occasion, she said that the accused had even threatened her in court after a session they had.
“He was too possessive, he would follow me constantly,” she said.
Threatening calls to the shelter
Altogether, the woman said she lived at the shelter from October 2010 to April the following year.
She described herself as a “weak” person, and said shortly before she left the house, the accused threw an axe at her, which scared her.
After she was transferred to the shelter Dar Merħba Bik, employees at the shelter were worried because the accused would often turn up outside the door.
“There were also calls, and he would wait for me outside the shelter,” she recalled.
When asked if she remembered what the accused would tell her in these calls, she remembered one particular call.
“He called me and said ‘If I go out of there (the shelter) I would hit you with a car and you will end up in a wheelchair’.”
Other residents did not feel safe because of the presence of her ex-husband and recalled how employees also received threatening calls from him.
At a point, she was transferred to Għabex (in Gozo) for her safety, and described feeling like she was in a “prison”.
‘I missed my children’
When asked by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera why she decided to leave the shelter, she said she missed her children “too much”.
She said while at Għabex, she found support from social workers and psychiatrists who helped her build her “strength” back.
“I found the courage and left because I started to miss my children too much,” she said.
After leaving the shelter, she went to live with her parents in their home in Birkirkara.
Accused followed her to Żurrieq
Recalling the day of the stabbing, the woman said she had gone to get her car repaired in Żurrieq on the advice of a male friend she had met online.
It has taken some convincing to go to Żurrieq, as she was scared to go out, bet she eventually relented and met up with her friend for a coffee while the car was left at the mechanic’s.
But after the coffee, the woman said she went straight back to her friend’s car and locked herself in.
“I was worried, but I thought why should I be scared? I am in Żurrieq, far away from home,” she said.
That is when she saw her ex-husband approaching the car, recalling that she had a feeling he would follow her.
She said her ex-husband told her to get out of the car and tried to open the door, but her friend told him to not touch his car.
When they went back to the mechanic’s workshop, the mechanic told the woman that a man had come asking after her.
This spurred her to file another police report, the 13th she had filed against her ex-husband, she told the court.
Her friend accompanied her back home, and left once he saw she made it safely inside her parent’s house.
‘My lungs, stomach and neck burst’
Once back at home, the woman recalled how her mother had worried she had stayed out too long.
She was in the kitchen making coffee when she heard the front door open and by the sound the door made, suspected someone was robbing the house.
She screamed for her mother, who went to the front door, but soon saw her ex-husband rushing past her “wildly”.
She saw her ex-husband rushing into the house ‘wildly’.
“I remember hearing ‘boom’ and I saw he pushed my mum on the floor,” the victim recalled.
She ran around the house trying to get away from him, but her ex threw an armchair at her and hit her head, after which she fell to the floor.
This is when he descended upon her and began to hit and stab her.
“My lungs, stomach, neck and chest burst,” she said, her voice cracking.
Her mother tried to take the knife from the accused but had ended up injuring herself after she grabbed the blade.
When asked whether the man had said anything to her during the ordeal, the woman said he had insulted her and told her to “die”.
After the attack stopped, the woman said she had dragged herself to the landline and called for an ambulance.
She then spent 10 days in the hospital.
‘He will kill you ma’
The victim recounted another incident involving the accused and one of their children.
Her daughter had come back from the outing extremely upset and told her that her father had gone to Pembroke and tried to buy a gun from someone.
“He will kill you ma,” she recalled her daughter telling her.
Forensic doctor Mario Scerri provided further details.
On May 5, the victim was in the emergency room, wearing an oxygen mask and had several blows to her face and stab wounds from a pointed weapon on her neck, chest and back.
The court was shown photographs of the victim’s wounds, as Scerri explained the different stab wounds and bruises.
The trial, presided over by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, continues this afternoon.
AG lawyers Kaylie Bonett and Kenneth Camilleri are prosecuting.
Lawyer Josephine Farrugia Mifsud is defence counsel.
Lawyer Alexandra Mamo is appearing parte civile as a legal aid lawyer.
The woman recounted incidents were the accused allegedly threw an axe at her and another time when took his daughter with him to try and buy a gun.File Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
A woman described how she was stabbed in her lungs, stomach, neck and chest by her estranged husband in front of her elderly mother thirteen years ago.
The alleged victim took to the stand on Wednesday, in an attempted murder case to recount a series of violent incidents that culminated in the attack in her mother’s home in Birkirkara in May 2011.
“I remember I was stirring the coffee with a spoon when I heard the front door open and by the sound the door made, I thought someone was robbing us,” the woman told the court.
is accused of allegedly stabbing his estranged wife six times in her mother’s house in Birkirkara back in May 2011.
The court has banned the publication of the parties’ names to safeguard the former couple’s children.
On Wednesday the court heard from the victim herself, who at the time of the alleged attempted murder was 41 years old.
She said she had spent time living in the shelter Dar Merħba Bik and also in another shelter in Għabex Gozo. She said that she felt constrained to do so because she was no longer safe at home.
“There were good things in the marriage, don’t get me wrong, but also a lot of problems, gambling problems (…) my life was miserable,” she recalled, her voice trembling.
Due to financial issues, she said there were days when there was no food in the fridge.
The witness said her ex-husband was often tense and stressed because of the amount of debt he had gotten into trying to handle his gambling addiction.
She also recalled her ex would often drink to forget.
“I could not live my life like this,” she added.
On one occasion, she said that the accused had even threatened her in court after a session they had.
“He was too possessive, he would follow me constantly,” she said.
Threatening calls to the shelter
Altogether, the woman said she lived at the shelter from October 2010 to April the following year.
She described herself as a “weak” person, and said shortly before she left the house, the accused threw an axe at her, which scared her.
After she was transferred to the shelter Dar Merħba Bik, employees at the shelter were worried because the accused would often turn up outside the door.
“There were also calls, and he would wait for me outside the shelter,” she recalled.
When asked if she remembered what the accused would tell her in these calls, she remembered one particular call.
“He called me and said ‘If I go out of there (the shelter) I would hit you with a car and you will end up in a wheelchair’.”
Other residents did not feel safe because of the presence of her ex-husband and recalled how employees also received threatening calls from him.
At a point, she was transferred to Għabex (in Gozo) for her safety, and described feeling like she was in a “prison”.
‘I missed my children’
When asked by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera why she decided to leave the shelter, she said she missed her children “too much”.
She said while at Għabex, she found support from social workers and psychiatrists who helped her build her “strength” back.
“I found the courage and left because I started to miss my children too much,” she said.
After leaving the shelter, she went to live with her parents in their home in Birkirkara.
Accused followed her to Żurrieq
Recalling the day of the stabbing, the woman said she had gone to get her car repaired in Żurrieq on the advice of a male friend she had met online.
It has taken some convincing to go to Żurrieq, as she was scared to go out, bet she eventually relented and met up with her friend for a coffee while the car was left at the mechanic’s.
But after the coffee, the woman said she went straight back to her friend’s car and locked herself in.
“I was worried, but I thought why should I be scared? I am in Żurrieq, far away from home,” she said.
That is when she saw her ex-husband approaching the car, recalling that she had a feeling he would follow her.
She said her ex-husband told her to get out of the car and tried to open the door, but her friend told him to not touch his car.
When they went back to the mechanic’s workshop, the mechanic told the woman that a man had come asking after her.
This spurred her to file another police report, the 13th she had filed against her ex-husband, she told the court.
Her friend accompanied her back home, and left once he saw she made it safely inside her parent’s house.
‘My lungs, stomach and neck burst’
Once back at home, the woman recalled how her mother had worried she had stayed out too long.
She was in the kitchen making coffee when she heard the front door open and by the sound the door made, suspected someone was robbing the house.
She screamed for her mother, who went to the front door, but soon saw her ex-husband rushing past her “wildly”.
She saw her ex-husband rushing into the house ‘wildly’.
“I remember hearing ‘boom’ and I saw he pushed my mum on the floor,” the victim recalled.
She ran around the house trying to get away from him, but her ex threw an armchair at her and hit her head, after which she fell to the floor.
This is when he descended upon her and began to hit and stab her.
“My lungs, stomach, neck and chest burst,” she said, her voice cracking.
Her mother tried to take the knife from the accused but had ended up injuring herself after she grabbed the blade.
When asked whether the man had said anything to her during the ordeal, the woman said he had insulted her and told her to “die”.
After the attack stopped, the woman said she had dragged herself to the landline and called for an ambulance.
She then spent 10 days in the hospital.
‘He will kill you ma’
The victim recounted another incident involving the accused and one of their children.
Her daughter had come back from the outing extremely upset and told her that her father had gone to Pembroke and tried to buy a gun from someone.
“He will kill you ma,” she recalled her daughter telling her.
Forensic doctor Mario Scerri provided further details.
On May 5, the victim was in the emergency room, wearing an oxygen mask and had several blows to her face and stab wounds from a pointed weapon on her neck, chest and back.
The court was shown photographs of the victim’s wounds, as Scerri explained the different stab wounds and bruises.
The trial, presided over by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, continues this afternoon.
AG lawyers Kaylie Bonett and Kenneth Camilleri are prosecuting.
Lawyer Josephine Farrugia Mifsud is defence counsel.
Lawyer Alexandra Mamo is appearing parte civile as a legal aid lawyer.