A man believed to have written anonymous letters to several public figures intends to admit to criminal charges he faces, a court heard on Monday.
Joseph Mary Borg, 71, was given time to reconsider that decision when his lawyer told a court that his client intended to plead guilty to sending insulting and threatening mail to Repubblika president Robert Aquilina, former MP Jason Azzopardi and PN MPs Karol Aquilina, Beppe Fenech Adami and Ryan Callus.
Those public figures and some of their relatives have all testified about the impact caused by these letters which were mailed to their home addresses.
Each described the distinctive handwriting and style, which appeared to indicate a common hand.
Professor of surgery and opinion writer Kevin Cassar and his wife were similarly targeted.
The vulgar and offensive language used in those letters appeared to be “photocopies” of narratives presented by the Labour Party narrative, Robert Aquilina had testified. Aquilina said whoever wrote the letters appeared to have been “brainwashed”.
Callus had testified that the letter he received during a parliamentary session had clearly been intended to scare him and disrupt him in his public duties.
Fenech Adami recounted how the sender had called him a “liar like his father” and branded him and his wives as “thieves,” besides also making reference to the MP’s personal battle with cancer.
Azzopardi had also told the court about the regular stream of letters that tormented him for years, making him feel that his life “was threatened.” His partner, Flavia Borg Bonaci, told the court that the letters caused her sleepless nights and drove her to paranoia.
On Monday, four officers from the Forensic Science Laboratory presented in court their reports after being tasked with lifting fingerprints from a number of letters written on lined paper as well as the envelopes containing the mail.
Prosecuting Inspector Kevin Pulis also exhibited a copy of a judgment delivered against the accused in separate proceedings before the Court of Criminal Appeal in October 2018.
When the testimonies were over, Borg’s lawyer, Henry Antoncich, informed the court that his client had expressed his intention to register an admission.
The prosecution said that it would not object.
In view of that statement the court, presided over by magistrate Astrid May Grima, directed the defence lawyer to speak to the elderly man, seated at the dock, leaning on a crutch.
After he had done so, the lawyer agreed to the court’s suggestion to adjourn the case so as to grant the accused sufficient time to consult further with his legal counsel before confirming his admission.
There were numerous charges and the punishment they carried was not slight, explained the court, thus adjourning the case to next month.
Should the accused confirm his guilty plea, the court is expected to decide upon the defence’s request for a pre-sentencing report before proceeding to judgment.
Inspector Ryan Farrugia also prosecuted. Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia appeared parte civile.