A judge has dismissed yet another attempt by a suspected murderer to get out of prison on bail, ruling that he had not managed to substantiate the claim that his bond was excessive.

Kenneth Gafà, 39, from Marsa, has been in custody for two years and had already had 10 requests for bail turned down. These include a Constitutional Court ruling that a denial of bail was not in breach of his human rights.

Mr Gafà is accused of killing his former girlfriend, Christina Sammut, 40, in Żebbiegħ in December 2010. He was granted bail last August against a deposit of €14,000 and a personal guarantee of €25,000 after being held in custody since the murder.

Since then, Mr Gafà has unsuccessfully argued that the bail deposit was set far too high for him to afford and that being in prison, he has had no way of earning money.

In a civil suit, Mr Gafà asked the court to declare that the bail bond was excessive and that his human rights had been breached as a direct consequence.

Mr Justice Tonio Mallia said Mr Gafà needed to prove to the court that he really could not afford the bail bond. Although he had submitted his tax returns, he presented nothing else as evidence.

He would also have to show that no one else could stand in as his guarantor before he could “faithfully furnish” the court with sufficient information so that an informed decision could be made.

The judge dismissed the case.