One of the men who stand accused of pulling the trigger on journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was admitted to hospital on Sunday after being on a hunger strike for almost a week.

Prison sources confirmed with Times of Malta that Alfred Degiorgio was taken to hospital because his "health started to deteriorate" and doctors feared he might suffer organ failures.

"He has persistently refused to eat and has still not eaten," top prison sources said.

"His health has now begun to deteriorate and doctors are concerned he might experience kidney or liver failures."

The sources said that on Sunday, Degiorgio cooperated with the doctors and prison authorities and is in a stable condition in hospital.

Times of Malta reported that Degiorgio was on a hunger strike on Monday and that he was refusing food and medical examination because he has not been given access to a lawyer of his choosing.

Degiorgio and his brother George last month ditched their long-standing lawyer William Cuschieri and earlier this month Times of Malta reported how the brothers could represent themselves in an eventual trial, having failed to secure a new lawyer of their choosing to defend them. They have instead been granted access to a legal aid lawyer.

The brothers could face life imprisonment if found guilty of the murder.

The brothers, via Cuschieri, had been attempting to reach a plea deal with the Attorney General and have long accused the police of failing to hear out their claims over the involvement of other people in the journalist’s assassination.

Their attempts for a presidential pardon were refuted by cabinet.

Although the Degiorgios deny the charges in court, George Degiorgio sensationally admitted to carrying out the hit during an interview on the Who Killed Daphne podcast.