Paceville victim ‘elbowed’ friend first – defendant
Deadly scuffle outside club came after ‘confrontation’
A man accused of killing a 27-year-old Sudanese man has claimed the victim elbowed his friend in the toilet minutes before they had a fight.
The claim was made by a friend of Antonel Dobre, 26, who allegedly pushed Osama Al Shazliay Saleh to the ground during an argument last month.
Mr Saleh, also known as Sunshine, suffered severe head injuries and died five days later after life support machines were switched off.
Mr Dobre is charged with causing serious injury that led to his death.
Taking the witness stand, Superintendent Stephen Gatt and Inspectors Trevor Micallef and Carlos Cordina said Mr Dobre and his friend – named only as Rado, 27 – were in a Paceville nightclub named Clique, which is connected to another called Deja Vu.
Rado told the police that as he was entering the toilet area on March 17, the victim came out and they brushed shoulders, then suddenly Mr Saleh elbowed him in the face, causing a serious nosebleed.
A staff member saw the injury and Mr Saleh was escorted outside by the doormen. Mr Dobre and Rado remained in the club for some 10 minutes before leaving.
Using footage from three CCTV cameras, officers managed to reconstruct the events outside the club.
The court heard that cameras recorded Mr Saleh talking to two women near the St Agatha steps, before his body language changes and he seems to notice something and walk off quickly.
Another camera shot shows the accused and his friend standing around before Mr Salah joins them at about 6.30 a.m., when the accused raises his right arm. The camera footage then cuts to another angle.
In the next shot the victim is seen lying on the ground and the two men are walking away. Rado told told the police that when Mr Dobre raised his arm, he grabbed Mr Saleh and pulled him into a push-and-shove fight they were having.
Rado is expected to testify on Tuesday.
The court heard that Mr Dobre left the island some five hours after the incident but bought a return ticket to Malta when he found out he was wanted for questioning by police.
The European Arrest Warrant – issued after he bought the ticket – was carried out as he waited to board the plane back.
The case continues.