A Turkish man who was stabbed three times during a scuffle with a motorist on the Gzira bus lane on May 30 told a court today that he had forgiven his assailant.
Kartal Samil Turkdogan started his testimony before Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona by stating that he had forgiven Badr Abou Snaima, a 33-year-old self-employed Libyan plasterer. However, he stated that had he not known how to defend himself, "I would have been killed".
Mr Snaima stands charged with attempting to murder Mr Turkdogan at around 8.30pm on May 30. He is denying striking him three times with a keychain flick knife in front of his three children as the two came to blows over the use of the controversial bus lane on the Sliema Ferries.
Mr Turkdogan said he was crossing the road with his three children, aged between 12 and 17, as well as his son's girlfriend. As they reached the bus lane, a car sped past, missing him by a few inches. He said he open his arms and shouted "What the fu**?" and the car stopped some two or three metres away.
He said the accused had his wife and daughter in the car at the time so he went to speak to him from the passenger window. At first Mr Snaima began speaking to him in a language he could not understand and Mr Turkdogan told him that he did not have to be so arrogant and could simply apologise because he should not drive like that on the bus lane.
At that point, Mr Snaima switched to English and told him: "Do you want to fight because if you do I'll just get out of the car."
Mr Turkdogan said Mr Snaima got out of the car but quickly changed his mind, got back into his car and started to drive off but just a couple of metres away, he stopped again, got out of the car and ran towards him and the scuffle broke out. Mr Turkdogan said that at no point did he see a knife.
Asked by the court, Mr Turkdogan said he was stabbed in the arm and twice in the back and was taken to hospital by ambulance which he thinks his daughter had called.
Under cross examination, Mr Turkdogan confirmed that he had trained, since he was 15, in martial arts and also practiced boxing, although not professionally.
At the end of the sitting, Magistrate Micallef Trigona found that enough evidence had been presented for Mr Snaima to be indicted.
Police Inspector Saviour Baldacchino prosecuted. Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the accused. Lawyers Giannella de Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran appeared parte civile.