Father and son accused of murder both out on bail

One of the men accused of last April's fatal stabbing of Brandon Pace in Hamrun has been granted bail, five months after the incident and four months after the other co-accused.

Kurt Grech, of Gwardamangia, had been charged, together with his father Joseph with Pace's murder, which was motivated by a longstanding family feud.

53-year-old Joseph Grech, father of Kurt Grech 'in-Nemes', had been arraigned together with his son on charges which include wilful homicide and carrying a knife in public without a police permit, after Pace was stabbed to death outside his apartment in Hamrun on April 2.

The victim had been in a relationship with Kurt Grech's former partner, who was the mother of his young son, and the estranged couple's disagreement over the child is thought to have led to the murder.

Joseph Grech, the other co-accused, had been released on bail in May following a decision by the criminal court on a bail application filed by lawyer Roberto Montalto..

In a decree issued yesterday, Magistrate Aaron Bugeja upheld a fresh request for bail filed by Montalto on behalf of Kurt Grech, who had withdrawn his original bail application in May.

Kurt Grech was released from arrest under identical bail conditions to those imposed on his father: a deposit of €20,000 and a personal guarantee of €80,000.