Jailed murderer gets separate sentence for strangulation attempt

Nizar El Gadi, the Libyan man who is serving a life sentence for the murder of lawyer Margaret Mifsud has, this week, also been convicted in connection with a prior, abortive attempt on her life.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras concluded criminal proceedings with regard to an incident of attempted strangulation by El Gadi on Mifsud which had taken place on 24 March 2012.

During his trial last year, the jury had heard the prosecution read out a handwritten statement detailing the incident, written in the victim’s hand – a fact established by a court-appointed calligraphy expert.

The statement, written in blue ink and with marginal notes in the manner of a court document, recalls how the accused had threatened to “leave her tearing her hair out in the street and ridiculed.” El Gadi would get Mifsud’s warrant revoked and ruin her, the statement had read.

Mifsud had written how on that day, the accused had led her to the sofa and pushed her on to it, asking her how she wanted the situation to end. “Do you want us to be enemies?” the Libyan had asked, before asking her to turn around. After several refusals, she eventually acquiesced and the accused had squeezed her throat, before trying to garrote her with a shoelace. Mifsud managed to escape at that point and had filed a criminal complaint against El Gadi.

The court said it had no doubt that the deceased had intended to start criminal proceedings and the defence did not contest the validity of the note, which was the central piece of evidence in the case.

There was a chain of events which created a clear picture which, the court said, left no shadow of doubt as to his guilt.

“The unemotional and calculating nature of the accused emerges from the testimony of his children,” said the court, sentencing the accused to three years imprisonment.

Inspector Elton Taliana prosecuted.