A couple who were surprised by two violent intruders while milking cows at their Dingli farm on Easter Sunday told court of their harrowing escape.

“All of a sudden the dogs started barking, and a short while later I got the fright of my life when one of the thieves started chasing me with a knife," the farmer said. "Luckily I managed to escape by hiding in the fields.”

His wife, who was also with him, told the court of how she was repeatedly punched by the other intruder, who was wearing a crash helmet, as she remained petrified. 

“He kept demanding money and became agitated when I told him I had none, to the point that he told me to pull down my trousers to check if I was saying the truth”. After about 15 minutes he left empty-handed, when police turned up after being alerted by her husband, she said.

The victim was testifying in the case against 26-year-old Maximilian Ciantar, who is pleading not guilty to attempted aggravated theft. The man is well known to the police due to his long list of convictions and pending cases.

A second man, Darryl Anthony Anderson, 19, has also been charged and is undergoing proceedings separately after pleading not guilty.

During proceedings, the court presided by Magistrate Aaron Bugeja repeatedly asked both witnesses if they recognised the burglars, one of whom was wearing a crash helmet, whereas the other one was covering his face with a scarf.

The first witness insisted that the man who chased him with a knife was the accused, saying that he recognised him from his “big-brown eyes” when he came face to face with him at the police station on the following day.

When it was pointed out to him that such characteristic alone would not be enough to ascertain the identity of the thief, the farmer insisted that the accused had an identical posture and a similar “thin and tall” stature.

On her part the woman also told the court that the accused was identifiable from his eyes, with the magistrate remarking that such a description was too generic.

“In that case I would be a suspect, as I also have big brown eyes,”
Magistrate Bugeja told the witness. Nevertheless, she stuck to her guns saying that one of the burglars was the accused who was present in court.

The court also heard that on the day of the incident the farmer was carrying €1,100 in his wallet, with his wife saying that it was customary for him to keep such a large amount to pay for fodder, hay and other farm items.

Both witnesses told the court that the thieves ripped two of their van's tyres and stole its keys. The vehicle log book was found the following day in a nearby field, but a remote device to open a garage in Rabat had also gone missing.

Lawyer Joe Brincat is defence counsel whereas police inspector Neville Mercieca is prosecuting.