A 77-year-old man resisted two knife-wielding men and refused to hand over money during a hold-up attempt in Sliema, a court was told on Tuesday.

Prosecutors said during the arraignment of two suspects - Peter Dingli 21 and Ryan Paul De Thier, 25, - that Sliema police received two reports about pedestrians who were approached by knife-wielding robbers on Sunday week.

The first incident took place  between 5am and 6.15am in the vicinity of the lotto booth on Cathedral Street, Sliema.  The second, involving the elderly man, took place shortly afterwards, between 6.15am and 7am in Howard  Street. 

No money was stolen in either case as the robbers fled the scene.

On Sunday, while investigators were gathering CCTV footage from the site  where the attempted robberies took place, they spotted two persons who perfectly matched the suspects seen in the footage. 

They were still wearing the same clothes, explained Inspector Stephen Gulia. 

Luckily, the footage was of good quality. 

The pair were arrested on the spot. 

During the arraignment, both pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers requested bail but the prosecution objected, arguing that the co-defendants were living at a hostel where they actually first met. 

Moreover, they had a drug habit, no fixed residence and there was a fear of tampering, especially since one of the victims was a vulnerable 80-year old. 

Magistrate Nadine Sant Lia, turned down the request for bail observing that if bail were to be granted it could prove difficult to serve notice of court hearings.

There would also not be sufficient surveillance since they had a drug addiction and no fixed address. 

And the victims were still to testify. 

AG lawyer Giuliana Magro Conti and Inspectors Stephen Gulia and Keith Rizzo prosecuted. Lawyers Martina Herrera and Julia Micallef Stafrace were legal aid counsel.