Anonymous source told police men in Paceville murder case are tied to prostitution ring

An anonymous but reliable source was one of the main police informants who shed light on the murder of Joseff Rivas and its ties to a prostitution circle, a court heard on Thursday.

This was revealed in court on Thursday during the testimony of Police Sergeant Andrew St John, who was on duty when the incident occurred on December 5, 2022.

According to St John, he was alerted to the fight at around 3:35 pm, which took place outside a café in Triq Ross.

Upon arrival, he saw a man with Mediterranean features sitting on a doorstep, bleeding profusely from his neck and back.

Despite initial attempts to gather information from the surrounding area, people either didn't know what had happened or were reluctant to speak.

However, a source then came forward, offering to provide information on the condition of anonymity. He told police that the men were involved in prostitution circles.

He described how the men had been drinking tea outside the café when another group approached. The argument quickly escalated into a knife fight, and the victim tried to fight back against two or three of the attackers.

The testimony of the anonymous source was deemed hearsay by defence lawyer Franco Debono and minuted an objection. The prosecution was requested to summon civilian witnesses for the next sitting, as the defence deemed it important for bail purposes.

The case continues in March.

The accused are being prosecuted by lawyers Darlene Grima and Kaylie Bonnett from the Attorney General’s office, along with Inspector Wayne Camilleri. Lawyers Jacob Magri, Arthur Azzopardi and Charmaine Cherrett are also defence counsel. Magistrate Nadine Lia is presiding over the case.