15-Year-Old Mqabba Stabbing Victim Was Stealing Family Money For Two Months To Pay Bullies
New details have come to light from the testimonies of the 15-year-old victim who was threatened, extorted and harmed by a gang of bullies on 23rd November.
In connection with the attack, 21-year-old Jake Dalli Balzan has been charged as an accomplice and subsequently denied bail, following an investigation and a court hearing on 30th November. Since then, the victim was able to provide more testimonies to the court, as reported by Times of Malta.
The victim claimed the threats started during the very beginning of the school year, where the victim was lured into the school bathrooms by her 13-year-old schoolmate who held her at knifepoint and demanded €110.
She had only ever interacted with the student the day prior, after she allegedly offered her a “line” of what was assumed to be cocaine.
The 13-year-old insisted that the extortion would be regular as of the following day, leading the older girl to panic and find a means of acquiring the money. Eventually, the victim took the sum from her older brother’s savings, that he was keeping for a new car.
Ever since, the gang of the 13-year-old, her boyfriend the 21-year-old Dalli Balzan and an unnamed 19-year-old, continued tormenting her for more money, that she took from her family, even via a supposed fake Instagram profile when the girl wasn’t at school.
On one occasion in October, the young suspect and Dalli Balzan showed up at her residence and demanded around €40, which she provided. Following this, on 2nd November, another visit occurred where she coughed up an additional €80.
The third instance on 15th November, from which the victim handed over €90, saw the introduction of the 19-year-old, who was later revealed to be the individual who held a gun to the victim’s head in the last incident.
The victim allegedly paid an undetermined sum in the following two days at school, however defence lawyer David Bonello pointed out that the aforementioned dates landed on a weekend. The victim clarified that her testimony was not concrete, but these events happened around the time following the third instance.
In the leadup to the incident on 23rd November, the bullies had allegedly asked her for a grand sum of €400, an amount she wanted to make clear she could not provide when meeting up with them on the day.
The aforementioned 19-year-old pulled out a gun from his pants and held it up against her head and threatened her that if she doesn’t pay the full amount by the following week, he would “kill her and cut her up in pieces.”
When she tried to leave, she was allegedly jumped by an additional three girls who were with the group. It was at this point where she sustained her reported injuries, plead for help after the gang fled and received assistance from a passerby.
At some point prior to these events, her father had suspicions of the theft and installed a security camera within the house, ultimately catching her during the act.
She was left with no choice but to fess up, explaining to her father the situation with the bullies, leading him to take up the case with the school’s principal.
After this, the actions taken by her family or the school officials is unknown, however legal intervention came into play following the events of 23rd November.
The victim said that just last Sunday, Dalli Balzan messaged her while she was still in hospital to apologise for his actions, yet he continues to plead not guilty to his charges.
The aforementioned messages were supposedly deleted by the victim herself out of fear.
From the hearing Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi found there was enough prima facie evidence for the accused to stand trial, further continuing the case.
Inspector Wayne Bonello prosecuted.
Lawyers David Bonello and Joseph Borda are defence counsel.
Lawyer Jason Azzopardi appeared parte civile.
What do you make of these developments?
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