The alleged attacker of a Somali national who was grievously injured last Friday told the police in a statement he had tried to scare the victim away with a penknife which he then used to defend himself.

Somali Abdulnasir Mohammed Abdullahi, 23, who has no fixed address, is being charged with the attempted murder of fellow Somali Mohammed Haji Abdilwahid on Friday evening.

Testifying in the compilation of evidence against the accused, police inspectors Kevin Farrugia and Carlos Cordina said the police started investigating after they received a call at around 6 p.m. informing them that somebody had been stabbed in Marsa.

The inspectors said the victim was lying outside police station, where there was a lot of blood with the blood trail coming from the garden behind the station.

On being admitted to hospital, the victim was certified to be in danger of losing his life.

The inspectors said that in his statement to the police, the accused said that he had had another three to four clashes with the victim before this argument and their fights had always been over money.

He claimed that the victim always asked him for beers or money and he was fed up.

On the day of the incident, he had had some vodka and a few beers and when the victim asked for money, he took out a penknife to scare him away but the victim rushed towards him and he stabbed him in the stomach to defend himself.

The case continues.