Elderly man recounts being locked up and beaten over two months

A septuagenarian housed with a man and his sister in Xaghra for two years yesterday told a court how he had been regularly maltreated in the last two months he spent living with them and was eventually rescued by police and taken to hospital.

Giuseppe Farrugia, 72, claimed he was punched and whipped, locked up on the roof with a dog for days, fed on bread and water and forbidden to leave the house alone.

He testified before Magistrate Paul Coppini in the compilation of evidence against Benny Attard, 44, of Xaghra, who is pleading not guilty to holding Farrugia against his will for more than 20 days, trying to seriously injure him and slightly injuring him on and before July 9.

Attard is also charged with the possession of a firearm without a licence and firing the gun in an inhabited area.

Farrugia yesterday told how Attard beat him up more than once, punching him in the eye on one occasion and, on another, throwing him to the floor and kicking him in the stomach.

Farrugia said he still suffered from the injury and had been in pain only the night before, on Monday night.

Attard had also whipped him with an electric wire until he bled, hitting him on the head and arm and setting on him just before he was about to go to bed, his bed being a mattress on the floor.

Farrugia said that Attard had once threatened him at gun point, saying he would kill him and throw his body in a sack and the sack in a valley if he so much as said a word about him to police.

Farrugia showed Magistrate Coppini how Attard held a revolver to his forehead and identified an exhibit as the revolver.

He said he had not been allowed to leave the Attards' house on his own in the last two months he had stayed with them.

They locked him up on the roof with the dog and he was only allowed out to cash his pension cheque accompanied by Attard and his sister Maria.

He passed on his money to Maria Attard and was allowed Lm10 of his pension cheque and Lm5 of his sickness benefit.

Farrugia said he managed to leave the house when the police came for him and then spent some time in hospital in Gozo.

PS Teddy Bajada told how he had received confidential information on July 9 that Farrugia, who lived with Benny Attard and his sister Maria, was being beaten up and had been seen with his face bruised.

He had gone to the Attards' residence to take Farrugia in for questioning and Maria Attard had come to the door. He asked to speak to Farrugia and while he was waiting on the doorstep heard Benny Attard tell his sister to tell him that Farrugia had fallen down the stairs.

He eventually spoke to Farrugia who insisted he had fallen down the stairs. Farrugia was taken to hospital for treatment.

The next day, he learnt that Farrugia had spoken to social worker Peter Paul Portelli and admitted that his injuries had been caused by Benny Attard.

Dr Marlene Attard said she examined Farrugia at hospital on July 9. He was very upset and had an old wound on his forehead, his eyes were bruised and his shoulder was hurting him.

Farrugia said he had fallen down the stairs earlier that day and said he wanted to go home but the doctor said his injuries were not compatible with his explanation.

Dr Attard said she suspected foul play and decided to keep the patient for observation in hospital and to request police presence.

She also remembered the patient remarking that he had been told not to say anything.

Inspector Antonello Grech told how he accompanied Farrugia to police headquarters, where he was wanted for questioning, on September 4.

On the way Farrugia told him how he had been maltreated in the preceeding two months, had been locked up on the roof for days, beaten up and threatened with death.

Inspector Grech said he had seized a revolver and four bullets from the defendant's house. Attard claimed he had found the gun in a trash can some three years previously and had kept it in self-defence. He would not say where he got the bullets from.

Inspector Anglu Caruana said he had spoken to Farrugia in connection with another investigation and Farrugia had told him he had been locked up on the roof of the Attards' house.

Farrugia had been living with the Attards for about two years but trouble started brewing only in the two months before September.

Farrugia claimed he had been fed bread and water, was beaten up several times and threatened at gun point.

The case continues.

Police Inspectors Anglu Caruana and Antonello Grech prosecuted.

Dr Mario Scerri appeared for the defendant.