The woman who was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband in the middle of the street in Tarxien would gather her children to pray for their alcoholic father to change his ways, a court heard yesterday.

The victim's sister, Miriam Milankovic, yesterday gave a heartwrenching account of what her sister's life was like before the murder.

Roger Agius, 47, stands charged with fatally stabbing Catherine Agius, 40, on July 13.

Only a month after getting married in December 1994, Mr Agius would drive his wife to her sister's place of work to ask for money even though his wife worked full- time, Ms Milankovic said. She said she was very close to the victim and they shared everything.

"Her husband never worked and spent all her income on his gambling and alcohol addictions" she said.

Ms Agius would bring her three children together to pray for their father so he may change his ways once and for all. One month before her death, Mrs Agius said her husband would kill her unless the separation proceedings allocated all their assets to him, Ms Milankovic testified.

An agreement had been reached whereby, because of his addictions, instead of paying maintenance and then also take half of the matrimonial house, Mr Agius would not pay any maintenance but would not take half of the house as it was feared that the money would disappear, the witness said.

In the course of the separation proceedings, the victim had been made redundant and was given a €28,000 payout but had to find another job with Rapid Laundry in order to make ends meet. "Then, one day she said to me: I will take a stand and I told her it's about time, he's always drunk," Ms Milankovic said.

Judging by the bruises on her legs, arms and face, she said she could tell Mr Agius used to hit her sister but the victim used to insist she loved him and would pray, even gathering the children to pray for him to change his ways, she said, adding that her sister simply wanted her children to live decently.

The problem became so acute that after Mrs Agius would cash her monthly wage cheque and take the money home, he would spend every penny leaving nothing for either her or the children. The couple even had debts with a third person called Vince who goes by the nickname of Il-Baby and Ms Milankovic had warned her sister to settle with him first in order to avoid trouble.

Shortly before her death, Mr Agius had literally thrown her out of the house. One morning Mrs Agius returned to get her clothes but when she walked through the front door he shoved bills in her face and a shopping list and ordered her to re-stock the refrigerator, Ms Milankovic said.

"Sometime in May he had called me on my mobile phone and said: 'I should have given your sister a good beating' and added if he doesn't get all the property he would stab and kill her."

When she repeated this threat to her sister, Mrs Agius was so scared of walking down the street that she would keep looking over her shoulder.

Breaking into tears, Ms Milan-kovic said that on the day of the murder, she got off the bus to see bags in the middle of the road. It was only after she heard neighbours saying that a woman had been hurt that she asked a policeman who the person was and he confirmed it was her sister.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Daniel Zammit prosecuted.

Lawyer Emanuel Mallia and Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the accused.

Lawyers Gianella Caruana Curran, Steve Tonna Lowell and Joseph Giglio appeared parte civile.