A man stabbed 28 times in broad daylight in Paceville was found lying face-up opposite a pastizzeria and not breathing, an emergency professional testified in court on Wednesday. 

Doctor Michael Spiteri was testifying in proceedings against Ilie Constantin, 31 and his cousins Ionut Iulian Tanase, 35 and Dan Andrei Tanase, 32, all from Romania, who stand accused of fatally stabbing Joseff Rivas during a fight last December. 

A call came through to the emergency control room on that December 5 afternoon at around 3:26pm about the stabbing. 

Within eleven minutes, an emergency unit was on site at Ross Street, Paceville where they came across a male, lying face up on the ground and showing no signs of life. 

The medics administered CPR and gave trauma advance support, then transferred the patient onto an ambulance, trying to save him en route to Mater Dei Hospital. 

Once there, the resuscitation team took over. 

At first glance, the patient had lacerations on the front part of his body. 

A nurse who was the first to reach the crime scene together with doctor Spiteri also testified that Rivas was not breathing.

“Our aim was to revive the patient,” explained the nurse. 

During today’s sitting, court expert Keith Cutajar testified about his various tasks in extracting CCTV footages, carrying out a digital analysis of various devices, obtaining digital logs from service providers as well as extracting data at a fitness club in Paceville. 

Real time footage between 3:00pm and 4:00pm that December afternoon showed how the fight started at a bar in Ross Street. 

The three accused were seated outside the cafeteria when, at one point, they were approached by “foreign-looking persons”, including Rivas.

There appeared to be a verbal spat between the two groups as the three accused stood up and then suddenly a commotion broke out.

The men fought, ran and shoved each other down the street, to the roundabout at the intersection with St George’s Road, the whole commotion caught by LESA cameras.

The footage also showed Rivas being hit. 

As the fight raged on, a passing bus slowed down.

Then as Rivas leaned against a platform outside the pastizzeria, the three suspected aggressors fled the scene running in the direction of St George’s Road. 

They later caught a taxi, their movements followed on footage by the IT expert who today presented his 170-page report together with the data extracted and the devices. 

Cutajar explained how he had been handed six mobile phones, two laptops and seven SD cards, including devices taken from the victim while he was receiving first aid. 

Only a couple of the devices could not be unlocked yet. 

Data from a DVR inside an apartment block in the area, covering a ten-day period prior to the incident, showed that the three accused used to frequent a residence there. 

Under cross examination by defence lawyer Franco Debono, the witness confirmed that the commotion had started when the trio were approached by the other men. 

As for Rivas, footage showed that he was part of that commotion, giving and receiving blows. 

In previous sittings, the court heard that the three accused appeared “panicked” as they caught a taxi close to the crime scene, telling the driver to “drive, drive, drive!” 

The police believe the crime was motivated by a financial dispute over earnings from prostitution. Rivas was linked to Romanian organized crime groups and the three men accused of murdering him were described as “pimps” by a police inspector who has testified in the case. 

At the end of Wednesday’s hearing, the court, presided over by Magistrate Nadine Lia, heard further submissions on bail. 

The AG objected not only while the accused lacked a fixed address but also because the three men had no ties in Malta. 

Right after the alleged stabbing, they had tapped their contacts to try to get out of Malta, argued AG lawyer Darlene Grima. 

Prosecuting Inspector Kurt Zahra noted further that the case had a trans-national element and investigations in that respect were still ongoing. 

The defence countered that as they argued “from day one” this was a case of self defence.

They were waiting for the prosecution to produce evidence about the character of the alleged victim too.

Moreover, most of the witnesses had testified and that was no longer a hurdle to bail. 

The court declared that it would decree on bail in chambers after the defence had presented documentation showing that the accused had lease agreements in hand. 

The case continues next month. 

AG lawyers Kaylie Bonnet and Darlene Grima prosecuted together with Inspector Kurt Zahra.Lawyers Franco Debono, Charmaine Cherrett, Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri are defence counsel.