The police are in talks with Melvin Theuma’s medical team to revise his personal police protection, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà said in an interview, while refuting the suggestion that the police had failed to protect the star witness in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case.

Gafà said that following the July 21 incident, when Theuma was found in a pool of blood with his neck slashed and injuries to his abdomen in his Swieqi apartment, the police had gone “back to the drawing board” to ensure that his life and mental wellbeing would be protected at all times.

Times of Malta revealed on Thursday that Theuma, who is believed to have slashed his own throat, is recovering well and is now able to hold conversations unaided.

The self-confessed middleman in the October 2017 car bombing, who has been given a pardon to tell all, suffered injuries to his vocal cords but will soon be released from the ENT Ward at Mater Dei Hospital.

The incident happened just hours before he was due to testify in court and confronted with evidence which, according to the defence lawyers of the accused, Yorgen Fenech, casts doubts on his credibility. Speculation was rife about how he suffered the multiple stab wounds to his neck and body but the police say all indications are of self-inflicted injuries. He is stable in hospital.

'Speculation fuelled by lack of trust in the police'

The speculation was fuelled by people’s lack of trust in the police, Gafa conceded on Thursday.

After the incident we have gone back to the drawing board and we are revising the plan for his personal protection

He expressed confidence, however, that the force would regain people’s trust “by time” and “when they start seeing results”.

He refuted a suggestion that the police had failed in its mission to protect Theuma, saying the police’s duty was to protect him from third-party harm.

“Theuma is a state witness not a police witness although the police need his testimony for a pending court case.

“We had four officers stationed with Theuma, two at the entrances and two with him for personal protection until he asked for more privacy.

“After the incident we have gone back to the drawing board and we are revising the personal protection plan,” Gafa said.

He did not want to delve into detail on what will change in Theuma’s personal security but the plan would ensure his well-being.

“We need Melvin Theuma to be mentally sane and we need him to appear in court lucid, to tell us all he knows about the crimes he was involved in and for which he was given a presidential pardon. We need him to be in a good mental state to testify,” he said.

Gafa acknowledged that the public at large did not believe the police version, that the wounds were self-inflicted, even though he said the police tried to be as transparent as possible about theincident.

Theuma had told investigators and an inquiring magistrate that there was no third party involved and that he injured himself out of remorse for his part in the journalist’s murder as well as because his testimony was not being taken seriously.

His testimony, which includes secret recordings of conversations he had with people allegedly involved in the murder plot, has been described by police sources as crucial to the case against Fenech.