Police question ex-lover of victim's girlfriend

A wine bar owner was found lying unconscious in a pool of blood after he was stabbed as he was leaving his outlet in High Street, Sliema early yesterday morning.

David Darmanin, 29, acting editor of the Business Today, distributed with Malta Today, and owner of the Ciao Frà wine and tapas bar, was stabbed several times as he was closing the door to his wine bar, sources said.

James Aquilina, who used to date Mr Darmanin's girlfriend, was questioned about the stabbing yesterday afternoon and was expected to be arraigned today, the sources added.

Mr Darmanin, who lives in Birkirkara, has a young son.

The police said that at about 1.30 a.m. they were informed that a man was badly injured. Together with an ambulance, the Sliema district police and members of the Criminal Investigation Department sped to the scene, where they found Mr Darmanin lying at the entrance to the wine bar.

He was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital where he was found to be in a critical condition because of the large amount of blood he lost and was put in intensive care. His condition improved in the morning although he remained in intensive care, where he could only be visited by relatives.

It is understood that the police spoke to Mr Darmanin about the incident.

Meanwhile, the wine bar was closed yesterday and there was no sign of the incident, except for a short strand of police tape beneath a car parked nearby and a strong smell of the bleach that had probably been used to wash the floor from the blood.

Duty Magistrate Giovanni Grixti has launched an inquiry and the Sliema police, under the supervision of Inspector Jesmond Micallef, together with the CID, under Inspector Chris Pullicino, are investigating.