Victim recalls chilling warning before alleged sexual assault

The victim of an alleged harrowing beating and sexual assault told a court on Tuesday that his aggressor had warned him that even if he filed a police report, nothing would happen because he was friends with Lilu King, who was “protected by the government”.

The claim emerged in court when the alleged victim, who cannot be named, testified about how, on April 21, he was lured to a San Ġwann shop, tied up, beaten unconscious, robbed, threatened with a knife and sexually assaulted with objects.

He was testifying in proceedings against Jordan Azzopardi, known as "El Chapo ta’ Malta”, Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, known as Lilu King, Noureddin Amer Miloud Almahmoudi and Abdulmomen Abudagil.

Azzopardi and Abudagil are accused of sexual assault, theft, unlawful detention, bodily harm, taking sexual footage or photos without consent, violent coercion, extortion, misuse of electronic equipment and causing the victim to fear violence. Azzopardi is also accused of attempted homicide and breaching bail conditions.

Elmushraty and Almahmoudi are also accused of complicity in several of the same crimes, including unlawful detention, assault, robbery and rape. All four deny the charges.

In hours of testimony, the victim said Abdulmomen Abudagil showed him videos of men being beaten and stabbed, telling him: “This is what we do for a living.” He warned him that the same would happen to him if he did not comply with what was being demanded of him.

The victim testified via video link, with the help of a translator, while the accused watched in the courtroom.

‘Something bad will happen’

The court heard that the victim had previously been in a relationship with a female relative of Abudagil. 

He testified that the relationship lasted around six years and they tried to keep it hidden from her family. She feared her father would kill her or marry her off to an older man if the relationship became known.

The relationship ended in November 2025, but they remained in contact.

Two weeks before the alleged assault, Abudagil contacted him and said he wanted to speak “face to face” about the relationship.

A week before the meeting, the woman warned him not to meet Abudagil.

“She told me not to meet him and that something bad would happen,” he said.

‘Why are you doing this?’

The victim said he met Abudagil in a shop in San Ġwann. He arrived at around 5pm and soon realised something was wrong when a worker turned the shop sign to 'closed' and then left.

He said Abudagil placed him in a headlock, punched him and tried to take him to the basement. Another man grabbed his legs and punched him hard in the stomach, causing him to lose consciousness.

When he came to, he found that his hands were tied with cable ties, and he was naked on the basement floor. He identified the second man as Azzopardi, saying he recognised him from tattoos on his neck and hands.

Azzopardi told him to look him up online because he was known as “El Chapo”.

The victim said Abudagil was holding three knives, while Azzopardi had two sex toys. He alleged the men beat him again, causing him to lose consciousness again.

When he regained consciousness, he said Azzopardi threatened him and ordered him to unlock his mobile phone. The men suspected that he had explicit photos of Abudagil’s female relative.

Stubbed out a cigarette on victim's back

The victim said that while Azzopardi left the basement to smoke a cigarette, Abudagil showed him videos of men being beaten and stabbed.

“He told me that this is what we do for a living,” the victim said.

He described how one of the videos showed around five men wearing masks beating up another man. Abudagil, he said, filmed the scene and at one point could also be seen stabbing the man in the video. The other men then began to stab him too.

“He told me that if I didn’t give him access to his phone, the same would happen to me.”

He said Abudagil then asked whether he knew Lilu King and told him that reporting the matter to the police would be a waste of time because Lilu King was “protected by the government.”

When Azzopardi returned, he stubbed out a cigarette on the victim’s back before placing it in his mouth.

Sexual assault

The victim also graphically described how the men sexually assaulted him with objects while filming and laughing. He lost consciousness again and later woke up to find Abudagil on a video call with his family, showing them the state he was in. His former partner was also on the call and she appeared to be crying.

At one point, Azzopardi tried to stab him in the chest, but Abudagil stopped him.

The victim said he eventually gave his assailants his phone password. Azzopardi checked his Revolut and banking apps, but found no money.

The victim said the men took around €800 from his wallet.

The moment the victim escaped

The victim said he told the accused he had more money in his car outside.

He was told to get dressed and was taken upstairs, with Azzopardi holding a knife to his back.

Outside the shop, the victim saw a man he recognised as a customer from the restaurant where he worked. While Abudagil spoke to the man, the victim said he persuaded Azzopardi to put the knife away because it looked suspicious.

As Azzopardi let go of his shirt and placed the knife in his pocket, the victim said he ran to his friends, who were waiting in a car. They drove him to a police station, where he felt unwell. The police called an ambulance, and he was taken to Mater Dei Hospital.

Asked how he felt after the alleged attack, the victim said he was in contact with Victim Support and had moments when he wanted to kill himself.

He said friends who knew Elmushraty were frightened and told him not to attend court sittings.

The victim said the father of one of the accused wanted him to drop the case. He was offered money, first €10,000, then €15,000, and then €30,000 to remain silent.

Cross-examination

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Franco Debono asked the witness how much money he had received from his former partner, saying she had allegedly sent him between €2,000 and €4,000.

Debono asked whether the victim had requested money so he would not blackmail her or share “indecent” photos. The witness denied this, saying the couple had a system in which he gave her cash, which she deposited and sent to him via Revolut.

Asked whether he had indecent photos of the woman, the victim said he had received photos of her in swimwear but had deleted other photos when he deleted Snapchat.

Debono questioned why the victim still received money from the woman after the relationship ended. The victim said the money had come from a friend and that his current partner knew about the transactions.

The victim said that back in 2023, he had given the woman around €2,300, and when they broke up, he requested half of the money back.

The witness was asked if he had ever met Elmushraty before, to which he said he had only met him once, back years ago, when Elmushraty had a nightclub in St Julian’s. He said he never spoke to him and this was the only time he met him.

Defence lawyer Jacob Magri asked if the witness ever had a gambling problem, to which the witness denied such a problem.

The witness said he never had to give money to his former partner relating to gambling problems, and once again, the witness denied such allegations. Magri also asked if the witness ever called the woman on an unknown number between November 2025 to April 2026, to which again the witness denied ever calling her on an unknown number, instead she did.

When asked if he had sent any threatening messages, he denied.

Criminal complaint against the alleged victim

Before the testimony started, the presiding magistrate informed the victim that the defence had filed a criminal complaint asking the police to investigate him for allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend, attempting to blackmail her, harassing her and causing her to fear him.

Testimony is expected to continue on Wednesday.

The prosecution is being led by Inspectors Wayne Buhagiar and James Turner, together with lawyers Jurgen Dalli, Darleen Grima and Danika Vella.

The accused are represented by Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri, Herman Mula, Adreana Zammit, Matthew Xuereb, Jacob Magri and Arthur Azzopardi.

Magistrate Lara Lanfranco presided over the case.