Two Maltese men have been charged with attempted murder following a stabbing in Cospicua last weekend.

Sean Grech, 33, and Johan Cassar, 34, both Cospicua residents, stand accused of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, unlawfully holding their victim against his will, carrying a weapon while committing a crime against the person and carrying an unlicenced knife.

Both were also charged with relapsing while Grech was also charged with breaching two bail decrees.

They both pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned before Magistrate Abigail Critien on Tuesday afternoon.  

The two were among three men arrested and detained by the police after a 36-year-old Libyan man walked into Cospicua’s police station on Sunday morning, dripping blood. He told officers that he had been stabbed in the back at a house on Triq il-Madonna tal-Grazzja.

He was rushed to hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

Inspector Kurt Farrugia later spoke to the alleged victim in hospital and his audiovisual statement was recorded on police bodycam.

The man said that he had entered the home of Josef Grech and saw two other men, both Maltese.

One was short and wore his hair in a ponytail, while the other was a taller man with a beard. He said he did not know who the two men were.

The man said that when he stepped inside, one of the men approached from behind and drew a knife from behind his back.

Spotting the knife, he asked "why?". But the other man just stabbed him on the back.

The man said he managed to get out of the house and headed straight to the police station, to report the stabbing.

The inspector told the court that when they went to the house, nobody answered their knock on the door. Police returned later with an arrest warrant and forced their way inside.

Only Josef Grech was present. He told police about the other two people who were with him earlier on. Police arrested all three men, but opted to release Grech without charge.

During Tuesday’s arraignment, defence lawyers argued that the victim’s recorded statement was not shown to their clients before they were questioned.

The inspector explained that the bodycam footage was not yet available since a request for a copy had to be made through the police system. But he had explained everything to the accused and they knew exactly what they were facing, insisted Farrugia.  

Lawyers for the two accused asked the court to appoint a psychiatrist to assess their mental state when being questioned by police, noting that their clients had refused legal assistance at the time and had drug addiction issues.

Prosecutors objected to that “unorthodox” request, but the court upheld the request and appointed a psychiatrist to assess both accused. The court also ordered a pharmacist to take the necessary samples for drug tests.

Defence lawyers did not request bail for the two accused, who were remanded in custody.

Attorney general lawyer Ramon Bonett Sladden worked together with police inspectors Kurt Farrugia and Antonello Magri to prosecute.

Lawyers Matthew Xuereb and Charles Mercieca represented the two accused.