Updated 5.05pm

Five young men charged with beating and whipping Liam Debono on Friday changed their guilty pleas to not guilty on Sunday during a court sitting flavoured by a touch of drama.

They were granted bail after the attack on the teen facing charges of attempted murder in a hit-and-run case.

An ambulance had to be called during the hearing when one of the accused - Kyle Ellul, 20, from Żabbar, fainted. He was taken out of the hall and was delirious on the floor in the corridor for minutes surrounded by family members.

The other accused - Marlon Baldacchino, 18, also from Żabbar; Emerson Bugeja, 20, from Vittoriosa; Tyson Bugeja, 23, from Marsa; and a 15-year-old from Cospicua who cannot be named by court order - tried to take him out of the court building but were stopped by the police.

All five, with Mr Ellul breathing very heavily, were back in the courtroom for the hearing to continue, in front of magistrate Gabriella Vella, after about 30 minutes.

Lawyer Franco Debono, appearing parte civile, told the court that his client was ready to forgive his aggressors, but still wanted court proceedings to continue against them.

Sources said the accused's plea was changed after the legal aid lawyer Marita Pace Dimech realised that four would have had to automatically serve jail-time due to their records.

The five suspects, four of whom sport prominent tattoos on their necks, were called in for questioning by police on Saturday following the attack on Mr Debono at his workplace in Luqa.

Mr Debono, 17, is currently facing charges of having tried to kill police constable Simon Schembri in a hit-and-run incident earlier this year.

Friday’s attack is understood to be unrelated to that case, with the fight sparked by an argument over a woman.

Media reports have suggested that Mr Debono goaded the five, aged between 15 and 25, into fighting him, but sources told Times of Malta that Mr Debono is not currently under investigation over the incident.

The teenager filed a police report following the attack and then received treatment in hospital before being taken home. He subsequently posted a photo of his bruised face onto Facebook, with the caption ‘5 vs 1. Haha, that’s a good one’.

The prosecution is being led by Sarah Zerafa and Paul Camilleri. Lawyer Amadeus Cachia is also appearing parte civile.

 

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