Man accused of Bidnija road rage murder has violent criminal history

A man accused of shooting dead a motorist in a road-rage incident has a history of violence, including an attempted murder charge. 

Mohamed Hamdan pleaded not guilty on Monday to the murder of his neighbour, businessman Jean Paul Busuttil in a quiet Bidnija road early on Sunday.

A police inspector told the court the 46-year-old got involved in a fight with his neighbour after driving the wrong way down a one-way road, left the scene and returned with a weapon before shooting the victim.

Among the charges brought against Hamdan was recidivism, meaning he had offended in the past. It transpires that the man has a history of violence.

Murder victim Jean Paul Busuttil. Photo: Facebook

A Libyan national born in Syria, Hamdan has been living in Malta since he was 15 years old. He first appeared in court almost two decades ago.

In 2006, he was arraigned and charged with the attempted murder of Hadi Ali Giuma Enfis, a Libyan man who was stabbed in Madliena. Hamdan was also accused of holding the victim against his will and of stealing $17,000 in cash.

The outcome of those proceedings is not known.

The court’s digital records platform show how, around five years later, Hamdan assaulted a policeman on August 14, 2011.

Hamdan was a bus driver with Arriva at the time, working at the Ċirkewwa terminal. On that day, he was running late for work when a police officer stopped him for driving a car without a number plate.  

An argument ensued, and Hamdan hit the policeman’s helmet. 

He was convicted of threatening, assaulting and insulting the constable, using obscene language in public, disobeying legitimate police orders and breaching the public peace.

The court sentenced him to 40 hours of community service instead of effective imprisonment.

A few years later, Hamdan was back in court. 

In November 2013, he was found guilty of smashing a neighbour’s door, threatening him and breaching the public peace.

He was also accused of breaching a set of bail conditions imposed on him back in 2006 and of breaching a €1,000 personal guarantee he had given in 2010 binding himself to keep the peace with the same victim.

Hamdan admitted all the charges except that of using a weapon to break the man’s door. In his testimony, Hamdan said that he would return late from work but could not sleep due to noise and shouting coming from the victim’s apartment. He said he once resorted to sleeping at the police station.

The court believed him, noting that he and his wife had to rent out somewhere else to keep the peace. It was also noted that Hamdan was constantly provoked by the victim’s behaviour. 

More than a decade on, Hamdan was back in court on Monday, accused of killing another neighbour. 

He denies all charges against him.