Man accused of stabbing gets bail thanks to alleged victim's Facebook posts
A man accused of a stabbing in Birkirkara has been granted bail, after his lawyer presented Facebook posts which the alleged victim had published after the incident.
Cranston Portelli, a 30-year old abattoir worker from Qormi, stands accused of having stabbed a 27-year old Msida resident. He is pleading not guilty.
Both men are alleged to have started arguing at around 7.30pm at a bar on Valley Road last Sunday, during festivities linked to the village feast.
Defence lawyer Mario Mifsud told the court that the two were total strangers who lived in different towns.
He presented Facebook posts which the alleged victim had posted since Sunday’s aggression, in which the injured man bragged about being “an iron man,” and having “a body of iron.”
“He’s strong enough to come to testify at the next sitting,” Mifsud remarked as he handed over his mobile phone to a court official and requested bail for his client.
The prosecution objected to the request, underlining the nature of the injuries.
“In that photo he seems to be on his feet, taking selfies,” Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech noted.
Prosecuting inspector Andrew Agius argued that there was a risk that Portelli would tamper...