Victim told Lilu King was ‘protected by government,' court hears

A man who was allegedly sexually assaulted and beaten by Jordan Azzopardi and Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, known as Lilu King, said one of his aggressors had warned him that even if he filed a police report, nothing would happen because he was friends with Lilu King, who was “protected by the government.”

Speaking before the court on Tuesday, the alleged victim recalled how he was lured to a San Ġwann shop, tied up, beaten until he fell unconscious, robbed, threatened with a knife, and sexually assaulted with various objects.

He testified in a case against Azzopardi, also known as “El Chapo ta’ Malta”, Elmushraty, Noureddin Amer Miloud Almahmoudi and Abdulmomen Abudagil.

Azzopardi and Abudagil are both accused of sexual assault, theft, unlawful detention, bodily harm, taking sexual footage or photos without consent, violent coercion, extortion, misuse of electronic equipment and causing the victim to fear violence.

Azzopardi is also accused of attempted homicide and breaching bail conditions, while Elmushraty and Almahmoudi are accused of complicity in several of the same crimes, including unlawful detention, assault, robbery and rape.

All four deny the charges.

Ahead of the testimony, the court informed the victim that the defence had filed a criminal complaint requesting a police investigation of him for allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend, attempting to blackmail her, harassing her and causing her to fear him.

The victim testified via video link with the assistance of a translator, while the accused followed proceedings from the courtroom.

Victim was warned ‘something bad would happen’ before meeting accused

The court heard the victim had previously been in a relationship with a female relative of Abudagil. He said the relationship had lasted around six years and that the couple had tried to keep it hidden from her family, as she feared her father would either kill her or force her to marry an older man if it became known.

The relationship ended in November 2025, but the two remained in contact.

Two weeks before the alleged assault, Abudagil contacted him and said he wanted to discuss the relationship “face to face”.

A week before the meeting, the woman warned him not to meet Abudagil.

“She told me not to meet him and that something bad would happen,” he testified.

The victim was dragged down to the basement

The victim said he met Abudagil at a San Ġwann shop at around 5pm, but quickly sensed that something was wrong after a worker turned the sign to ‘closed’ and left the premises.

The situation quickly escalated after Abudagil allegedly placed him in a headlock, punched him, and tried to drag him to the basement. A second man grabbed him by the legs and began to punch him in the stomach until the victim lost consciousness.

He woke up to find himself naked on the basement floor with his hands bound with cable ties. The victim later identified the second individual as Azzopardi, telling the court he recognised him by the tattoos on his neck and hands.

Azzopardi boldly revealed his own identity, allegedly telling the victim to look him up online as he was known as “El Chapo”.

The victim further testified that Abudagil was holding three knives, while Azzopardi had two sex toys. He said the men then beat him again, causing him to lose consciousness once more.

When he regained consciousness, the victim said Azzopardi began threatening him while demanding that he unlock his mobile phone. The men allegedly suspected that he had explicit photos of Abudagil’s female relative.

Lilu King is 'protected by the government'

The victim said Azzopardi then left the basement to smoke a cigarette, while Abudagil began showing him videos of men being beaten and stabbed.

“He told me this is what they do for a living,” he testified.

The victim described one of the videos as showing around five masked men physically assaulting another man. He said Abudagil appeared to be filming the scene and was at one point seen stabbing the man, before the others allegedly followed and began stabbing him too.

“He told me that if I didn’t give him access to his phone, the same would happen to me.”

The victim went on to say that Abudagil asked whether he knew Lilu King, before warning him that filing a police report would be useless because Lilu King was “protected by the government”.”

Azzopardi returned to the basement and allegedly put out his cigarette on the victim’s back before shoving it into his mouth.

The victim was sexually assaulted and robbed

The victim then gave explicit testimony about being sexually assaulted with objects, while the men allegedly filmed the assault and laughed at him.

The assault caused him to lose consciousness again. He woke up to allegedly find Abudagil on a video call with his family, showing them the state he was in.

His former partner was also on the call and appeared to be crying.

The victim said Azzopardi at one point tried to stab him in the chest, but was stopped by Abudagil. 

The victim said he eventually gave in and provided the accused with his phone password.

The men then took around €800 from the victim’s wallet after Azzopardi checked his Revolut and banking apps but found no money. 

Escape into a nearby vehicle and hospitalisation

The victim said he told the accused he had more money in his car outside. He was then instructed to put on his clothes before being taken upstairs as Azzopardi held a knife to his back.

Once outside the shop, the victim recognised a man as a customer from the restaurant where he worked. While Abudagil was speaking to the man, the victim said he managed to persuade Azzopardi to hide the knife, convincing him that it would draw suspicion.

Azzopardi let go of the victim’s shirt and hid the knife in his own pocket, and the victim took off into his friend's car. He was taken to a police station where he began to feel unwell. An ambulance was called and he was quickly taken to Mater Dei Hospital.

Asked how he felt after the alleged attack, the victim said he was undergoing treatment with Victim Support and had even considered suicide.

He also said friends who knew Elmushraty were frightened and had warned him not to attend court sessions.

The victim said the father of one of the accused wanted him to drop the case, allegedly attempting to bribe him to remain silent with offers that rose from €10,000 to €15,000 and eventually €30,000.

Victim accused of blackmailing former partner in cross-examination

Defence lawyer Franco Debono cross-examined the victim and asked how much money he had received from his former partner, alleging that she had sent him between €2,000 and €4,000.

Debono questioned whether the victim had asked the woman for money in exchange for not blackmailing her or sharing “indecent” photos. The witness denied this, explaining that the two had an arrangement in which he would give her cash to deposit before she transferred the amount back to him through Revolut.

The purpose of the cash arrangement was not made clear in court.

Asked whether he was in possession of indecent photos of the woman, the victim said he had received photos of her in swimwear, but had deleted other images when he deleted Snapchat.

Debono questioned why the victim had continued receiving money from the woman after their relationship ended. The victim said the money had come from a friend and that his current partner was aware of the transactions.

The witness was then asked whether he had met Elmushraty before. He said he had only encountered him once, years earlier, when Elmushraty operated a nightclub in St Julian’s.

He said he had never spoken to him and that this was the only time they had met.

He said that in 2023, he had given the woman around €2,300 and had asked her to return half the amount after the relationship ended.

The witness denied having a gambling problem when it was brought up by defence lawyer Jacob Magri. He refuted claims that he ever had to give money to his former partner relating to a gambling problem, and again denied the allegations in full.

Magri then asked whether the witness had ever tried to contact the woman from an unknown number between November 2025 and April 2026. The witness denied this, insisting instead that she had been the one to contact him.

Testimony will continue on Wednesday.

The prosecution is being led by Inspectors Wayne Buhagiar and James Turner, together with lawyers Jurgen Dalli, Darleen Grima and Danika Vella.

The accused are represented by lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri, Herman Mula, Adreana Zammit, Matthew Xuereb, Jacob Magri and Arthur Azzopardi.

Magistrate Lara Lanfranco presided over the case.