Abner Aquilina confirmed to police that he had attended several meetings of Evangelical Christian group River of Love during his interrogation over the murder of Paulina Dembska.

Pastor Gordon-John Manche, who leads the group, has previously denied all links to Aquilina, telling his members that Aquilina had only attended once. Aquilina’s links to the groups have been under the microscope after telling investigators that he was working on the orders of God and frequencies from the devil.

Aquilina, according to a court report by The Times of Malta, told police that he went to Sliema, where Dembska was murdered, because of “enlightened persons and Satanists” in the area. 

According to other repots, Aquilina alleged attended a River of Love ceremony on Saturday 1st January, the night before the murder, after which he joined group community group members for a gathering in Żejtun that lasted till midnight. 

He was allegedly set to sleep over at a River of Love member’s home and attend the church again the next day, but he was nowhere to be seen on Sunday morning. 

This has not been confirmed as yet by investigators in sittings. 

Details about Aquilina were shared during today’s sitting by Inspector Jonathan Ransley. Aquilina told investigators that dystopian novel ‘A Clockwork Orange’ was the story of his life. The novel, which was adapted into a film, focuses on a hyper-violent protagonist. Still, many have also read the book and never exhibited violent behaviour.

Aquilina, who was also allegedly sexually abused as a child, had previous issues with drugs before turning to religion. His mother said that his involvement with a religious movement had led to Aquilina finding some purpose in life.

Questions over Aquilina’s mental health have been a focus of investigations, with investigators detailing how he exhibited strange behaviour while under interrogation, and was repeatedly spinning around in his chair before falling on the floor.

Dembska, a 29-year-old Polish national, was murdered on 2nd January at Independence Gardens, Sliema, where she used to feed stray cats. Lovin Malta has revealed how Aquilina told investigators that he was a “soldier from God” and was acting upon the orders of “frequencies” in the lead up to the murder.

He was also revealed to have stalked another woman in the lead up to the murder, while he also had a violent altercation with two men.

Police revealed that just half an hour before his arrest, Aquilina entered Balluta Bay Church, causing a commotion and asking a priest to write a paper for him saying he was not a criminal.

He was initially arrested over the commotion he caused. 

The murder has shocked the nation, with many pointing to the country’s long-standing issues with femicide and violence against women as directly leading to these kinds of incidents. However, others have placed further emphasis on the mental health issue in Malta.

Several women have also claimed they were harassed by Aquilina, with Lovin Malta receiving numerous screenshots from messages sent by the murder suspect.

Meanwhile, a woman detailed how she and a friend were confronted by an erratic Aquilina when she visited Xrobb l-Għaġin on New Year’s Eve.

Police have asked women who claimed they were sexually harassed by Aquilina to come forward and file an official complaint, pledging to take it “very seriously”.

If you or someone you know needs to talk about their mental health, please call national support service 179. Alternatively, visit www.kellimni.com; the Richmond Foundation’s OLLI.chat to get in touch online; or the Kif Int? website.

What do you think of the links between Aquilina and River of Love?