Alessio Lupo Rivera, the boyfriend of the 18-year-old Sardinian woman who fell four storeys from a Paceville hotel last week, described their relationship as “toxic” and claimed to have recorded how the incident unfolded. 

Last Wednesday, Claudia Chessa, from Arzachena in Northern Sardinia, suffered grievous injuries after she fell from the balcony of a St Julian’s hotel she was staying at. 

She was on holiday with her 27-year boyfriend, with initial findings indicating that the two argued shortly before the fall.

Last week, Lupo was arraigned  in front of magistrate Jean Paul Grech, where he pleaded guilty to charges of slight bodily harm, causing his partner to fear violence and drug possession. He was fined €250 for drug possession and granted a conditional discharge for two years. He has since left Malta. 

Speaking to La Nuova Sardegna, Rivera, a DJ known as ‘Alewolf’ broke the silence and admitted that they would argue frequently and described Claudia as “possessive”.

“She accused me of cheating, and whenever that happened we fought. She scratched, bit and often slapped me. I repeat- it was a truly toxic relationship,” he said.

He said he had photos and videos of Claudia accusing him of cheating, as well as photos of his neck full of blood and scratches as a result of the arguments between them.

Despite the arguments, Rivera said they “couldn’t let go of each other”.

Recorded the argument

Giving his accounts of the night of the incident, Rivera said he and Claudia began arguing at a nightclub before continuing their fight back at the hotel. 

He said he started recording the argument for “his own protection”.

“From the recording, you can tell we were arguing, as we often did, but you can also tell that I did not push Claudia towards the balcony. She got up from the bed, walked towards the open sliding door and then jumped.”

He said she had previously threatened him she would do something “drastic” due to her jealousy.

“Unfortunately, that night, she did.”

He said he felt "deep sorrow and pain" for what happened to Claudia and said he wanted to stay with her in the hospital, but the Maltese police had prevented him from doing so. 

“The truth is, we should have broken up a long time ago. Claudia is a good girl, but so I am. The real problem is when we are together."

Following his arraignment on Friday, Rivera travelled back to Tempio, Italy, where authorities opened an investigation against him for abuse and bodily harm following a complaint filed by Claudia’s father, Silvano Chessa. 

Sardinian news portals quoted Chessa's father as saying his daughter had jumped from the balcony in a desperate attempt to get away from her aggressive boyfriend. 

“My daughter is not crazy, she didn’t throw herself off the balcony because of a simple argument, she was beaten and tried to run away and save herself,”  Chessa previously told a L'Unione Sarda.

According to news portals remains hospitalised, where she has undergone two spinal surgeries due to the fall. Once she recovers, she will return to Sardinia and will be questioned by Italian prosecutors. 

Rivera's lawyer, Egidio Caredda told the Ansa agency:

"We are not dealing with an ogre, he is not the classic violent man who beats the girl," the Unione Sarda reported. 

Caredda said Rivera had video footage from the evening to prove his argument and how his client risked attempted murder charges.