Four bouncers attacked a Somali man “like a pack of wolves” and left him fighting for his life only because his friend asked whether the colour of his skin was why they were barred entry into a nightclub, jurors heard yesterday.
Felix Idisi Oduh wanted to go into Fuego nightclub in Paceville together with his Nigerian university friend, Olori Lucky, 34, and his girlfriend, Catherine Graham, 25, on June 24, 2007 at about 1.30 a.m.
They were not allowed in and when Mr Lucky asked why they were stopped and whether it was racially motivated, the bouncers set upon him. As Mr Oduh tried to intervene, he was also hit and kicked.
Mr Oduh was struck with a bottle in the neck. The cut was so deep it almost severed his jugular vein. It also severed nerves, causing one of his eye lids to droop, the court heard.
Roderick Attard, 26, of Kalkara; Anthony Azzopardi, 31, of Buġibba; David Bonello, 52, of Għargħur and Charlton Abela, 29, of Cospicua are pleading not guilty to Mr Oduh’s attempted murder.
They are also pleading not guilty to slightly injuring Mr Lucky and breaching the peace.
Mr Lucky had pleaded guilty to slightly injuring Mr Attard and had been sentenced to a month in jail. The judgement was, however, overturned on appeal and he was instead fined €58.
Prosecutor Aaron Bugeja, from the Attorney General’s office, said the accused had “acted like a pack of wolves” as they beat Mr Oduh.
“Paceville should not be a jungle but, with this type of behaviour, it has turned into one”, he added.
He asked the jurors to put themselves in the victim’s shoes and imagine what it felt like to be prevented from entering a nightclub just because of the colour of one’s skin.
In statements to the police, the bouncers had denied attacking the foreigners, insisting that the men had actually started the fight. They denied using a knife or any type of weapon.
Police Inspector Anthony Agius said he had spoken to the bouncers who said they had been beaten by the foreigners. In fact, Mr Bonello had a gash on his head, which was about seven centimetres long.
According to the bill of indictment, Ms Graham had been allowed to enter but the two foreign men were stopped. Mr Azzopardi asked them for their identification and for “travel documents” but, when Mr Lucky produced his, he was still refused entry.
Mr Lucky asked to speak to the manager and when a person claiming to be a manager turned up he told him that the decision not to not allow people into the club was taken by the bouncers and that was final.
The bill of indictment says that when Mr Lucky asked whether he was not being allowed in because of his skin colour, he was pushed violently and Mr Attard, Mr Bonello and Mr Abela pounced on him and started kicking and punching him.
Mr Oduh, who tried to get his friend out of the fight, was also attacked. He heard the sound of a bottle being broken and was hit in the neck. He got hold of a chair in a bid to stop his aggressors as Mr Attard held him by the leg to stop him from getting away. The other men moved away once they realised that blood was pouring out of his neck, the prosecution is alleging.