Delia on son's Sliema assault: Many others shared similar stories with me

Adrian Delia has said he was flooded with messages from parents after he publicly said his 14-year-old son was assaulted by a group of teenagers in Sliema. 

The Nationalist Party MP and former Opposition leader said he received several messages from concerned parents whose children were involved in similar incidents, including photos of injuries they sustained. 

However, police figures suggest reports of fights between minors remain low, with only 22 reports of such cases recorded over the past 10 years, and only two reported last year.

Delia said some of those who contacted him had not reported the assaults out of fear of retaliation.

“People are pleading with me to speak out about what happened,” he said, adding how over the years the ‘gang’ has gained a ‘recruit’ of members.

Last week, Delia posted a photo showing blood stains on the ground and said his son was “brutally assaulted” by a group of teenagers in Sliema on Saturday. 

Speaking on Andrew Azzopardi’s radio programme on Saturday morning, the PN politician provided a timeline leading up to the assault.

He said he had dropped off his son at Tigne Point to meet some friends in the afternoon, and was planning to collect him at around 9pm, when he was informed his son was involved in an incident.

He said that the incident began after another youth approached his son and his friends and “had a word”.

Delia said the youth then made a phone call, and a group of around 15 individuals appeared, some young and some older, Delia said, describing the group as “practically a gang”.

“My son's friends were scared. A couple fled but one stood by him. When I tell you the punching he got (…), there is a video circulating of him on the floor. It is something you wouldn’t even want to see a dog experience. I wish no one to go through this.”

Delia said he could not go into too much detail about the incident as police investigations into it are ongoing.

‘Next time, they will come with knives’

The MP thanked the Victim Support Team for assisting in his son’s psychological recovery following the assault, and added that the incident also had an impact on his son’s friends.

He recalled overhearing the discussion between them (his son and friends) and how they should take up boxing or self-defence training to protect themselves in the future.

“One child said, ‘Next time, they will come with knives,’” he recalled.

Bodily harm reports second lowest in over two decades

Judging by police statistics, child-on-child violence is not a significant issue in Sliema. 

Last year there were just two reported fights between minors, both in October. And in the past decade, police received 22 such reports.

"The highest reporting year was 2016 (six reports), whilst no such reports were received in 2017, 2022, and 2024," a police spokesperson said. 

They added that Sliema recorded its lowest crime rate since at least 1998 last year, despite increases in population, tourism, and economic activity. 

The spokesperson attributed the results to an increase in police presence, particularly during the weekends in areas such as Tigne, Qui-Si-Sana and Bisazza Street and also due to stronger community policing.

“This crime reduction is not Sliema specific- but is also reflected at a national level. Nationally, Malta has registered its lowest-ever crime rate per capita. While in 2004 there were 46 crimes per 1000 persons, this figure dropped to 27 crimes per 1000 persons in 2025.”

But residents have been complaining about "gangs" of young people intimidating locals for years. 

In 2023 a group of residents performed a citizen's arrest on a group of youths, they accused of antisocial behaviour, saying police often told them nothing could be done. 

And in December the Home Affairs Minister acknowledged challenges in the area, telling parliament it would take a collective community effort to fix the problem.