Victim describes himself in Hi5 as having nocturnal sadistic tendencies

A court heard yesterday that the victim of a stabbing incident in Paradise Bay describes himself on his Hi5 profile as having "nocturnal sadistic tendencies".

Mark Anthony Casha testified in the compilation of evidence against Clint Zahra, 25, and his father Anġlu, 63, of Rabat, who are pleading not guilty to his attempted murder when they stabbed him several times.

They are also charged with slightly injuring Clint Zahra's wife Patricia.

Mr Casha told Magistrate Audrey Demicoli that he was with Mrs Zahra at a farewell party for one of their colleagues when they decided to leave to "talk in privacy" about her marital problems.

Defence lawyer Gianella Caruana Curran asked Mr Casha why it was necessary for them to go to an uninhabited, dimly-lit area in a car park at 1.30 a.m. for some privacy.

They wanted to be alone, he replied.

Dr Caruana Curran then asked whether it was true that he had nocturnal sadistic tendencies.

He said it was not the case.

When questioned why he described himself on his personal Hi5 profile as having "nocturnal sadistic tendencies", he replied that the idea was to look cool and that it meant nothing as it was a phrase from a song.

When confronted with pictures retrieved from the same HI5 profile featuring him with symbols which the defence team described as satanic crosses on his back, he said that was not a satanic cross but the logo of a band called the Sisters of Mercy.

Mrs Zahra testified said that when she arrived at the Paradise Bay car park with Mr Casha on the night in question, she alighted from her car and on approaching Mr Casha's car, her husband jumped out from behind a bush and told her: "I caught you".

Her husband, together with her father-in-law, beat her up and then took her car leaving her stranded in the car park. She walked to the main road and hid for three hours inside a bus stop. "I heard a voice telling me to go to the Riviera Hotel to call my mother's house," she added.

The police arrived some time after.

Mrs Zahra said that she and her husband had been experiencing problems for about a year and a half adding: "I told him to cut his working hours because I did not need so much money."

Mrs Zahra admitted to sending love messages via SMS to Mr Casha.

When questioned whether the messages sent could have been sexually explicit, Mrs Zahra replied that they were.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Therese Sciberras prosecuted.

Dr Caruana Curran and lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the accused.

Lawyers Charmaine Cherrett and Franco Debono appeared for the victims.