The 15-year-old victim of a gang attack close to her Mqabba home, told police that a 13-year-old schoolmate who had long bullied her, tried to stab her three times with a penknife while her boyfriend punched her on the head and kicked her in the stomach. 

The young victim was found by a female passer-by, lying face up on the ground, shouting and crying out in pain, hands held close to her chest on that November 23 afternoon.

She told the woman who rushed to her assistance that she had been attacked by a gang of five.

That woman dialled the Żejtun police station for help at 3.40pm. 

A police sergeant who got to the scene some 10 minutes later testified on Thursday when criminal proceedings kicked off against Jake Dalli Balzan, the 21-year-old boyfriend of the 13-year-old minor.

'Il-kbir għadu ġej'

The young victim was not in a state to speak at the time, as doctors and paramedics assisted her while her mother looked on. 

She was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital.

Later, the sergeant spoke to the victim in hospital, calling her on her brother’s number.

She told him how she had been attacked by a gang of three females and two males who approached her that afternoon. 

The 13-year-old aggressor, whom she identified as the same girl who had been bullying her at school, allegedly tried to stab her with a penknife while her boyfriend punched and kicked her. 

Then another female member of the gang, also wielding a penknife, went up to her and kicked her in the abdomen, telling her menacingly, “il-kbir għadu ġej" (the worse is yet to come).

The alleged victim recounted how she managed to get to her feet and ran off, the gang chasing her. 

Then she allegedly saw them getting into a light-coloured car that appeared to be waiting and drove away. 

She was confused and panicked when the female stranger came across her lying in the street, the court was told. 

Lead prosecutor Inspector Wayne Bonello gave a lengthier and more detailed account of the investigations which resulted in Dalli Balzan’s arrest and subsequent arraignment.

When he spoke to the 15-year-old in hospital in the presence of her father, she recalled having been assaulted by a gang of five. 

The girl was still agitated and in a state of shock.

Three of the masked aggressors held her while another, her 13-year-old schoolmate, tried to stab her with a penknife. 

Her thick woollen top shielded her from the blade. 

Another of the aggressors, “with an Arab accent,” was also armed with a penknife, she claimed. 

Dalli Balzan allegedly punched her head and kicked her in the stomach. 

She said she identified two of her aggressors, namely the bully and her boyfriend, through their voice and the tattoo on his left hand. 

Five days after the alleged attack, the girl released another statement at the police station in the presence of her parents.

She was shown CCTV footage gathered from the alleged crime scene.

The footage showed her leaving her family home that afternoon, walking along the street to an alley.

“She appeared calm and walked normally,” explained the inspector.

She entered the alley at 3.36pm and exited two minutes later, walking “slowly” away in blue slacks and grey top. 

When asked why she had gone to that alley, the girl began to cry. 

She said she would supply more details “but not in the presence of her parents”. 

So the investigator asked an official from Child Protection Services to be present while the minor continued her account in place of her parents. 

That was when the girl gave fresh details about what had allegedly happened inside that alley.

She said that when she went there she found a masked male person who whipped out a gun from his right pocket and put it to her head. 

Unless she gave him money, he would kill her, the man allegedly threatened. 

When he pulled out his mobile from his pocket, three bullets allegedly fell out. 

He bent to pick them.

The victim told the inspector that she was attacked by the other five when she exited the alley. 

Footages from the area did not capture the alleged assault. Nor did the footage capture the gang and a getaway car. 

The girl said she was confused and unsure about how her alleged aggressors left the scene. 

How did the bullying start? 

Under further questioning by parte civile lawyer Jason Azzopardi, the inspector gave some background to the attack.

The alleged victim had told him how she got to know the 13-year-old at school some months previously. 

The younger girl once offered her cocaine.

That was when she started demanding money from the 15-year-old, threatening, blackmailing and bullying her. 

On several occasions the minor would threaten her victim at knifepoint, pressing a penknife against her stomach. 

All this allegedly happened at school. 

The victim would take money from her father who, subsequently told police that he reckoned the total amount to be €800.

The victim said that she would hand over the money to the 13-year-old bully outside her Mqabba home. 

Sometimes Dalli Balzan was present and the 13-year-old would hand the money to him.

The victim’s father had reported the matter to the school headmaster and showed police screenshots of the WhatsApp chat to that effect. 

He had even sent the school head a screenshot of one of the messages received by his daughter from a fake profile linked to her 13-year-old aggressor.

That message was read out in court. 

“If you don’t want to be attacked with a knife, come to school and give me those [€]150... and even if you’ve spilt the beans, I won’t get caught… you won’t get your money back but rather I want more, not [€]150 but €]200…or else you’ll get attacked with a penknife.” 

The headmaster told police they found nothing in the 13-year-old's bag and nothing suspicious showed up on school CCTVs.

Footage from Fgura shop 

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer David Bonello, the inspector said the suspect who allegedly held the victim at gunpoint in the alley had not yet been arraigned. 

However, further details were withheld since investigations were still ongoing. 

The victim told police she did not want to mention that episode in her parents’ presence because she was “scared” of talking about such a serious matter. 

Although she said she identified Dalli Balzan through his voice and tattoo, she could not describe the tattoo. 

After his arrest, the defence directed investigators to collect CCTV footage from Maypole Fgura in the hours close to the alleged attack. 

That footage was then compared to footage from the crime scene. 

It turned out that Dalli Balzan cycled to the shop at 3.21pm. He exited two minutes later. 

He later told police that he had gone to buy a drink. He was at his Fgura garage with his 13-year-old girlfriend and cousin on that November 23 afternoon. 

His cousin went to buy food but forgot the drinks. 

The alleged attack took place in Mqabba at 3.29pm, six minutes after Dalli Balzan left the Fgura shop on his bike. 

The prosecution confirmed that the defendant did not drive. 

But the 13-year-old told police that on that afternoon she was not in Mqabba. She said she was in Fgura but she did not know the exact location.

She provided the police with details of Dalli Balzan, first saying he was her friend, then describing him as her boyfriend. 

The case presided by Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi continues. 

Inspector Wayne Bonello prosecuted. 

Lawyers David Bonello and Joseph Borda are defence counsel.

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi is appearing for the victim and her family.