The man accused with the fatal stabbing incident of Roderick Grech, known as ‘ic-Cina’ last March is still in prison since he cannot afford to pay the bail deposit.

Etienne Bartolo, 36, known as ‘il-Vojt’, did not have a regular employment at the time the alleged murder took place, turning to his mother for financial assistance whenever the need arose.

This information was revealed today in court, in the course of the compilation of evidence, by the mother of the accused who took the witness stand to shed light upon her son’s limited financial means.

Monica Bartolo explained how on the day of the murder she had been on her way to Sicily to celebrate her birthday when she received a phone call from the police. The witness said that she had always accepted to help her son when he needed money so as to ensure that he would not turn to outsiders for loans, thus possibly landing himself in greater trouble.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, heard how the accused performed odd jobs, occasionally helping a friend on some sandblasting project and receiving a pittance for his work.

The mother further confirmed that the accused owned no vehicle and that he did not earn a regular wage. Four major local banks also testified that Mr Bartolo held no accounts in his own name or jointly with third parties.

Neither the accused nor his relatives could afford to pay such an amount

Lawyer Edward Gatt, who is assisting the accused, pointed out that his client was still behind bars in spite of having been granted bail. The deposit of €10,000 laid down by the court was a barrier to his client's provisional freedom, the defence argued.

Both local and foreign case-law laid down that an accused's right to a fair trial could be compromised if, on a basis of probability, it was shown that the person did not have sufficient funds to abide by bail conditions.

In this case, neither the accused nor his relatives could afford to pay such an amount, Dr Gatt concluded, prompting the prosecution to remark that the figure was relatively low considering that this was a case of voluntary homicide.

The court declared that it would decide upon the issue in chambers.

During the sitting, Thomas Armatys, a Polish doctor who formed part of the emergency team on duty at Mater Dei on the night of the alleged murder, reported that Mr Grech had a stab wound in the neck, another on the right-hand side of his chest and other wounds on his right hand, adding that the victim had arrived in hospital “without a pulse”.

Inspector Kurt Zahra prosecuted, while lawyer Edward Gatt was defence counsel. Lawyers Franco Debono, Angie Muscat and Yanika Vidal are parte civile.