A Bulgarian man was yesterday charged with killing a Serb in the early hours of Tuesday, with witnesses telling the court the accused had been assaulted shortly before the fatal stabbing.

Emil Atanasov, 27, was accused of murdering 27-year-old Dragoljub Kristic in an apartment in Triq il-Merluzz, Qawra.

Mr Kristic was stabbed through the heart with a pocket knife.

Mr Kristic’s friend, Zoran Jocic, 33, also from Serbia, was separately charged with assaulting and slightly injuring Mr Atanasov but told the court he could not remember details of what happened as he was too drunk.

Another witness, Macedonian Dani Krstski, 34, who is Mr Atanasov’s flatmate, also testified yesterday, explaining how the two Serbs he had met in a bar earlier that evening were “quite drunk”.

I was very drunk. I do not remember much of what happened

Mr Atanasov did not request bail and was remanded in custody. Mr Jocic pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him and was conditionally discharged for six months.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit heard Mr Jocic admit to assaulting Mr Atanasov when he and the victim were involved in a brawl “probably about the loud music”.

“Probably?” the magistrate asked him, to which he replied: “I was very drunk. I do not remember much of what happened. If I say more I would be lying.”

He said he and Mr Kristic, whom he had known for about 10 years, had an argument with the accused, in their own languages, but he could not remember what it was all about. He admitted they did not understand Bulgarian and Mr Kristic did not understand Serbian and he could not explain how they were communicating.

“A few minutes later, as soon as we walked out of the bedroom into the corridor, he [the accused] punched me in the nose and Dragoljub tried to intervene.

“That is when I saw him bleeding profusely. I did not see any knife in his hand.

“I ran out of the apartment to seek help and when I returned with the police we found him on the stairs, covered in blood,” Mr Jocic said.

Mr Krstski, 34, testified that he had met the two Serbs earlier that evening and they spent the evening drinking at the bar.

When it was about to close, they decided to go up to the flat that he shares with the accused.

He told the court they were listening to music until there was a power cut and there was an argument between Mr Atanasov and the two Serbs but did not specify what they were fighting about.

He said that at one point he pinned Mr Atanasov to the wall and warned him to respect his friends and it was then that he heard a metal object falling to the ground.

Mr Krstski said he had not seen the accused stabbing the man but just heard a commotion.

Another Macedonian, Goran Manojlovski, said he heard the men arguing and had gone out on the roof to stay away from trouble.

The case continues.

Police Inspectors Keith Arnaud and Joseph Busuttil prosecuted, while lawyers Renzo Porsella Flores and Patrick Valentino appeared for the accused.