Three Somali men accused of grievously injuring their Libyan flatmate and stealing the cash inside his wallet were today remanded in custody after pleading not guilty.

The incident happened on Tuesday night at about 11.30pm at the men's shared residence in Zurrieq.

Ahmed Sharif Haydar Issa, 32, Mahamed Hassan Muhudin, 30, and Islan  Abukar Abdow, 36, who are all unemployed, were arraigned under arrest before Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras.

The men were also charged with being relapsers.

Police inspector Melvyn Camilleri told the court that the case came to light when the victim, Romedan Said Ali Taha, entered the police station covered in blood to report the beating. He alleged the Somalis beat him up because he refused to give them money.

The court heard how the victim escaped from the station when he saw the alleged aggressors approaching.

He later told the police that the Somalis had warned him not to file a police report.

Lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace requested bail, but the prosecution as the victim lived at the same house as the accused. He also told the court that two days after the incident the Libyan was still under shock.

The court denied the request for bail due to the grave nature of the charges as and for fear of tampering with evidence.