‘We’ll kill you and put you in a freezer’: butcher shop assault details emerge

A man was allegedly lured to a San Ġwann butcher shop, tied up with cable ties, beaten unconscious, robbed, threatened with a knife and sexually assaulted with objects while being filmed, a court heard on Thursday.

The testimony emerged during the first sitting in the compilation of evidence against four men charged in connection with the alleged assault: Jordan Azzopardi, 36, known as “El Chapo ta’ Malta”; Abdulmomen Abudagil, 23; Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, 34, known as Lilu King; and Noureddin Amer Miloud Almahmoudi, 39, a shop worker.

Azzopardi and Abudagil were charged last week with several offences, including 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 that violence would be used against him. Azzopardi alone is also accused of attempted homicide and breaching several bail conditions.

Elmushraty and Almahmoudi were later charged with complicity in several of the same crimes, including unlawful detention, assault, robbery and rape. All four deny the charges.

Inspector James Turner, from the St Julian’s police station, told the court that on April 21, at around 7.45pm, he was informed by sergeants from the St Julian’s and Sliema police stations that a foreign man had turned up at the Sliema station in a very bad state around half an hour earlier.

The man was in pain, sat on the floor and eventually collapsed, prompting police to call an ambulance. After police established his identity, he told officers he had gone to a butcher shop in San Ġwann, where he had met Abudagil, a person linked to a former relationship, before being beaten, robbed and sexually assaulted.

The alleged victim identified his aggressors as Abudagil, described in court as the son of the shop owner, and Azzopardi. Turner said he later spoke to the alleged victim in hospital. The inquiring magistrate was informed and forensic doctor Edward Cherubino was appointed as an expert. The victim was certified as suffering grievous injuries.

Turner testified that the alleged assault appeared to have stemmed from a relationship of around six years between the victim and a female family member of Abudagil. The relationship, the court heard, had also been intimate. The inspector said the woman feared that details of the relationship could emerge and affect her future prospects.

Around 15 days before the alleged assault, the victim said he had been contacted by Abudagil, who wanted to confront him “face to face, man to man” over his intentions towards the family member. The victim said the original plan had been to meet at a cafeteria, but Abudagil later changed the meeting place and told him to go to the shop in San Ġwann instead.

When the victim arrived at around 5pm, he was greeted and offered a seat. He told police he then saw Almahmoudi leave the shop, turn the shop sign and leave the area. At that point, the victim said, he felt something was wrong.

'You see what we do to people like you'

The victim said Abudagil then placed him in a headlock and took him down to the basement. There, he found another man dressed in black, wearing black gloves and with his face covered. That man allegedly began beating him. The victim said he lost consciousness and, when he came to, found that his hands had been tied with cable ties, some of his clothes had been removed and his trousers were torn.

At one point, the masked man allegedly uncovered his face and told him: “Do you know who I am? I’m Azzopardi.” The victim told police Azzopardi also said he had recently been released from prison and that the victim should look him up online.

The victim said Azzopardi demanded €5,000 from him, warning that he would otherwise kill him. The victim replied that he only had €600 in his car. Azzopardi allegedly grabbed a knife and tried to stab him, but Abudagil stopped him from stabbing the victim in the chest. The victim said Azzopardi then went outside to smoke a cigarette.

The court heard that Abudagil allegedly showed the victim footage of a previous assault, in which a person could be seen being beaten by masked men. Abudagil allegedly told him words to the effect of: “You see what we do to people like you.” He also allegedly threatened that the victim could be killed and placed in a freezer without anyone knowing what had happened to him.

Knife put to victim's throat, wrist

The victim told police the men spat on him and told him this was what happened when someone showed disrespect to their family. Azzopardi allegedly returned and placed a cigarette in the victim’s mouth. Abudagil also allegedly placed a knife to the victim’s throat and asked him for money, and later put a knife to his wrist, cutting him slightly.

The court heard that the victim had allegedly had intimate or indecent photos of the female family member on his phone, though the mobile phone was never found. The victim told police he had been in a relationship with the woman, but that the relationship had ended.

The alleged physical abuse continued when the men produced two sex toys, the court heard. The victim said he was forced to put the objects in his mouth and anus while being filmed. While filming him, they allegedly ordered him to say that he enjoyed what was being done to him. When the men realised he was not doing what they wanted, they allegedly inserted the objects themselves, including into his mouth and anus.

“The physical and sexual abuse lasted around half an hour,” Turner testified.

The victim said he was warned not to go to the police, otherwise the men would go after his family. He also alleged that the attackers mentioned knowing Lilu King, saying he could kill him instantly.

After the alleged assault, the victim said, he was told to get dressed and was taken back upstairs. Azzopardi allegedly began behaving as though he were his friend, even greeting him before they went outside.

‘They hit me’

Once outside, the victim saw his friends waiting nearby. When Azzopardi and Abudagil saw them, they backed off. The victim ran towards his friends, told them to drive and was taken to the police station. He was later taken to Mater Dei Hospital, where he was certified as having suffered serious injuries.

Turner said the victim’s friends were spoken to by police. One of them said they had been waiting for around an hour when the victim ran towards them saying: “They hit me, they hit me.” That witness identified Abudagil and Azzopardi.

Police later analysed CCTV footage from around the shop. The footage showed the victim entering the shop, after which the shop door was closed and several people were later seen trying to enter. CCTV also showed the victim running across the road towards his friends. Turner said the victim’s walk did not look comfortable.

The inspector said CCTV footage also showed Almahmoudi leaving the shop at around 5pm. Almahmoudi was questioned and told police he worked at the shop for Abudagil’s father. He said he worked there as a cleaner and did not remember anything or anyone going in. However, Turner said there were discrepancies between the times Almahmoudi gave police and what was seen on CCTV.

The court heard that Azzopardi later went to the St Julian’s police station to sign his bail book. Police requested an arrest warrant and arrested him. He was informed of his rights and a search was later carried out at his home, where evidence was elevated.

Because Lilu King had been mentioned by the victim, police obtained phone records. Turner said that shortly before the alleged offence, there had been phone calls between Elmushraty and Abudagil. Recordings of those calls were played in court.

The inspector said the calls allegedly included instructions on what was to be done, including switching off the shop’s cameras so as not to get Abudagil’s father, the shop owner, into trouble. There was also discussion about hiding two cameras in case footage was needed later.

Elmushraty allegedly told Abudagil to give the victim a “tbeżbiża”, and to only give him a “tbeżbiża”. The Maltese term can carry different meanings depending on context, ranging from a scare to a roughing-up.

The court also heard that, after he was arrested at Corradino Correctional Facility and gave a statement, Elmushraty denied suggesting that the alleged crimes be committed, particularly the alleged rape. He told police that Abudagil was part of his family and that he could not go against his word.

During cross-examination, lawyer Franco Debono questioned whether police had investigated the background to the alleged incident. He suggested that there was information indicating the victim had allegedly been threatening the female family member and asking her for money through the use of indecent photos.

Debono asked whether police were investigating the alleged victim himself over threats or blackmail, arguing that if that was the case, the victim should be cautioned before testifying further. He also asked for the alleged victim to be summoned to testify at the next sitting.

Asked to explain the relationship which allegedly led to the incident, Turner said the case appeared to have originated from the six-year relationship between the victim and the female family member of Abudagil. He said investigations were ongoing and that, so far, police had not established that the alleged victim had blackmailed the family member or demanded thousands of euros from the family.

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

The case continues.