Man denies threatening to burn his girlfriend
A young man denied ever telling his girlfriend he would burn her alive and said she threatened to get his bail revoked and put him behind bars, a court heard yesterday. Lydon Cutajar testified in his defence after being accused of punching and...
A young man denied ever telling his girlfriend he would burn her alive and said she threatened to get his bail revoked and put him behind bars, a court heard yesterday.
I did not want to draw attention to myself as I was already violating the 10.30pm curfew imposed on me by the court
Lydon Cutajar testified in his defence after being accused of punching and injuring his former girlfriend, Graziella Grima, at Gianpula nightclub early on August 27.
He is also charged with breaching bail conditions by staying out beyond his 10.30pm curfew.
Magistrate Francesco Depasquale heard Mr Cutajar, 22, say he had gone out because his friends insisted he joined them.
While out, he saw Ms Grima and avoided her because she had been telling him she would make him lose his bail and go to prison. She also told him she would decide when he left prison, Mr Cutajar testified.
At one point that same evening, a group of young women started flirting with him.
Sometime later, a group of men went to him and beat him up. Ms Grima was with them, he said, denying hitting her but said that, while he was being beaten, he was striking back in self defence. He may have thus hit her but did not recall doing so.
He denied starting the fight or threatening Ms Grima, adding that he was already violating the curfew imposed by the court, so he did not want to draw attention to himself.
Mr Cutajar, who lives in Marsascala, is the son of Giuseppe Cutajar, known as Il-Lion, who is facing criminal proceedings over the double murder of two men in a Marsascala garage last March.
Last week, Ms Grima said he threatened to burn her alive and set fire to her car and her house after he got out of prison.
She said that, on August 27, she was on the dance floor with her friends and a couple of men she did not know when, all of a sudden, Mr Cutajar came from behind her and head-butted one of the men.
Police Inspector Kevin Farrugia is prosecuting.
Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Kathleen Grima are representing Mr Cutajar.
Lawyers José Herrera and Veronique Dalli are appearing for Ms Grima.