Court shown moment rape accused escaped police custody in Valletta
Police constable accompanying the accused said the man's handcuffs had been loosened
CCTV footage showing the moment a man accused of rape ran away from a police constable after being denied bail was shown in court on Tuesday.
Ashraf Elshenawy, a 28-year-old Egyptian who is married and lives in Naxxar, was first arrested and arraigned on May 21 on charges of raping a woman with whom he was allegedly having an affair. He is pleading not guilty.
The court denied him bail and ordered that he be taken to Corradino Correctional Facility. But before he could be admitted to prison, Elshenawy escaped police custody in Valletta at around 3.45pm.
He was found and rearrested later that evening, at 9.17pm.
Testifying in court on Tuesday, police inspector Ryan Vella said Elshenawy had been outside the court building after his arraignment and was speaking to his lawyer while being monitored by a police constable.
Vella said that after he spoke to his lawyer, Elshenawy asked the constable to loosen his handcuffs because they were too tight and were hurting him.
As the two walked down St Lucia Street, Elshenawy suddenly ran towards Republic Street, the inspector said. The constable shouted at him to stop, but Elshenawy ignored the order and kept running, Vella told the court.
Elshenawy was arrested later that evening in Valletta. After his arrest, he said he felt unwell and was taken to hospital.
Vella presented CCTV footage from areas close to the court, including footage from a nearby coffee shop and the Grand Master’s Palace.
Police constable Alan Zahra, the constable with the accused when he escaped, also gave evidence about the escape.
He said he had escorted Elshenawy out of court and was carrying the accused’s ticket of admission to prison.
Zahra told the court he waited while Elshenawy spoke to his lawyer. The accused then asked him to loosen his handcuffs because they were hurting his wrists.
The two men then walked out of court and turned into St Lucia Street, heading towards the police car that was meant to take Elshenawy to prison.
Zahra said he noticed the vehicle was not there and was about to call a colleague to ask where it was.
“At that moment, he went running in the direction of Republic Street. I started shouting at him to not escalate the matter, but he ignored me and ran,” Zahra said.
The constable said he chased Elshenawy and last saw him in Triq il-Lvant. He then called for police assistance and filed a report at the Valletta police station.
Sources confirmed that Elshenawy’s handcuffs had been loosened.
The court was shown footage of the escape in St Lucia Street. It showed Zahra wearing a black top and light trousers, walking next to Elshenawy, who was wearing a beige top and jeans.
The footage then showed Elshenawy running away from Zahra. He did not appear to be wearing handcuffs. There were no comments about why the accused had no handcuffs on.
The case continues on June 16.
Magistrate Nadine Sant Lia presided over the court.
Elshenawy is being represented by defence lawyer Nicholas Mifsud.
Inspector Ryan Vella is prosecuting.