Dutch Man Charged In Court After Woman’s Brutal Murder In Santa Venera

A 22-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to the court’s charges of murder earlier this afternoon.

Jelle Rijpma, a Dutch national, is being accused of killing Shannon Mak (a woman believed to be his ex-girlfriend) in the early hours of Friday morning.

She was found with her throat slashed by a neighbour at 6:15am on Triq il-Mastrudaxxa, Santa Venera.

Despite an appeal by his lawyers, who claimed he has a stable job here in Malta so he would not be likely to flee the country, Rijpma has been denied bail.

The 30-year-old victim was working in Malta at the time of her murder. Her father and his partner were present in the courtroom.

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