‘I Didn’t Mean To Hurt Her Too Much’: What Abner Aquilina Told Police About Paulina Dembska’s Murder
Murder suspect Abner Aquilina opened up for the first time in court over the rape and murder of 29-year-old Paulina Dembska.
Police shared some key details that Aquilina had shared from the morning of 2nd January, recounting how he “didn’t mean to hurt” Dembksa that much.
Asked if he had spoken to Dembksa, Aquilina said he didn’t want to hear about her. Police had found two beanies on site, a black one near Dembska and another on the promenade. When police told Aquilina that he had forgotten his beanie behind, he said: “no forget that. It wasn’t my beanie, but hers.”
“A devil told me to do something.”
On the morning of 2nd January, Aquilina also told police that he had spotted a woman after the devil told him to do something, he told police. He had followed a woman – who appeared to be Maltese – to a nearby church.
Aquilina said he had “smelt her”, and that she was short and wearing a white jacket. However, when she noticed him, she hurried on. Shortly afterwards, Aquilina had entered Balluta Bay Church, causing a commotion and asking a priest to write a paper for him saying he was not a criminal.
A male diplomat who was walking along the Sliema promenade around that time had initially seen the body of a woman in Independence Gardens, and called police.
Subsequently, the naked body of a woman who was nude from her bosom down was found, a scarf covering her face. Nearby, human hair – suspected to belong to Dembska – was found stuck to a railing.
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.
Just half an hour before his arrest, Aquilina allegedly appeared at the Balluta Church, which is close to where Dembska was discovered. He reportedly approached the altar and caused a scene, overturning some seats.
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 make of Aquilina’s story?
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