Gzira man Justin Dimech charged with attempted murder in Sliema arson attack

A man accused of trying to set another man on fire has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and drug trafficking, with the motive for the attempted murder remaining unclear.  

Inspector Shawn Pawney told magistrate Victor Axiak that police were informed at 8:30am yesterday, that accused Justin Dimech, 29 had broken down the door of a Sliema apartment and poured gasoline at the door of the bathroom, where the victim, a relative of his, was hiding. He ignited the fuel but the victim luckily escaped with relatively light injuries.

Dimech was soon arrested at a flat in Gzira. Substantial amounts of cannabis were found at his home.

He later told police he sold the cannabis to buy crack cocaine for himself, but Pawney told the court it was not clear as to why the petrol attack took place.

Lawyer Charles Mercieca, for the parte civile, asked for a ban on the publication of the name of the victim. The court upheld the request, prohibiting the identification of the victim on every media, including social media.

The accused, wearing green trousers and a black jumper, confirmed his identity as 29-year-old Justin Dimech from Gzira. He said he was unemployed at the moment.

Bail was not being requested at this stage, defence lawyer Victor Bugeja said. The accused will be held in custody until his case is assigned.

In view of the drug trafficking charges, the court issued a freezing order over the man’s assets. A four-year protection order was also issued in favour of the victim. The magistrate warned him not to approach the victim in any way if granted bail at a later stage, as the consequences would be grave – up to two years in prison, said the court.

Inspector Jonathan Ransley also prosecuted.