Singer's friend: 'He pulled the knife out and put it to Mikaela’s throat'

Two young women have given an account of how one of them was robbed at knifepoint and then stabbed in Paceville last week.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech is presiding the compilation of evidence against Munir Mohamed Ali Gammudi from Tripoli, 37, who stands charged with theft aggravated by violence, time and value of the stolen object, as well as carrying a knife during the commission of a crime against the person and relapsing.

Gammudi was arrested in Paceville after allegedly attacking local musician Mikaela Attard and her friend Monica Agius in St Julians on Sunday 18 February. Attard said she was stabbed repeatedly but luckily escaped injury thanks to the heavy coat she had been wearing.

Attard explained how, after the attack, she had gone to a nearby friend’s house. She had been unable to process what had just happened to her, she said. Afterwards she had gone to meet two of her friends to tell them what had happened, explained the singer, but denied going to Paceville, other than to return to the scene to thank the security guards who had saved her life and have a drink.

Her companion, Monica Agius, gave her account of what happened.

The girls had been sitting on a low wall, waiting outside a club when two men came up to them and asked for a cigarette. “One asked if I had a boyfriend and I said ‘he’s on his way.’ At the moment, the other man pulled a knife on Mikaela. In an instant he pulled the knife out and put it to Mikaela’s throat.”

“He started talking in his language and I panicked. Mikaela panicked too and told him ‘int bis serjeta?”’. Attard lashed out at the men with her handbag. They ran off and the girls gave chase, hoping to alert nearby security guards but the men soon turned back.  One of them, Gammudi, “stabbed Mikaela repeatedly,” Agius said, making a rapid stabbing motion.

“They sprinted and we were in heels, we couldn’t catch up with them but the point of running after them was because I knew there was a club around the corner with security guards. I wanted to make them aware.”

The accused was pinned down by security guards who disarmed him and returned the handbag to Attard.

Afterwards the girls went to police station to file a report, returning to Playground approximately an hour later to let their friends know what had happened “and to thank the staff for saving us. We stayed on for around 3 hours."

The court ruled that there was sufficient prima facie evidence for a bill of indictment to be issued against Gammudi.  The compilation of evidence continues on 3 April.

Lawyer Noel Bartolo is defence counsel. Inspector Matthew Spagnol is prosecuting.