Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1011650
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 AUGUST 2018 NEWS PAUL COCKS RIJPMA Jelle, a 22-year-old Dutch national was yester- day remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to the mur- der of 30-year-old Shannon Mak. The woman, also from the Netherlands, was found dead in Santa Venera in the early hours on Friday morning. She was found with her throat slashed, lying on the ground between two cars in Triq il-Mastrudaxxi at around 6:15am by a resident on the way to work. Jelle's charge sheet shows him as living in the same street in Santa Venera. In court yesterday, he re- quested bail, with the defence counsel arguing that him be- ing European, there was no fear of absconding. The de- fence also argued that the ac- cused had many ties to Malta, including his job in the re- mote gaming sector. But the prosecution opposed the request for bail, arguing there was too big a risk the accused could influence wit- nesses, given the serious na- ture of the charges. The court upheld the pros- ecution's arguments and de- nied bail. The victim's parents were present in the court room during the arraignment, with the mother in tears, visibly shaken by what happened to her daughter. Inspectors Kurt Zahra and Robert Vella are prosecuting. Man charged with Dutch woman's murder, denied bail 22-year-old Rijpma Jelle stands charged with the murder of Shannon Mak, 30 (left) A court acquitted Deniro Magri, who stands accused of murder, of charges brought against him fol- lowing an altercation with a wit- ness. Deniro Magri, an ex-policeman from Marsa, has pleaded not guilty to murdering 25-year-old Sylvester Farrugia in Marsa in February 2017 with a firearm, after Farrugia was involved in at- tempt to set fire to Magri's home. On 8 January this year, Magri was involved in an altercation with 37-year-old Birzebbugia resident, Aaron Cassar, one of the alleged accomplices to the attempted arson, after encoun- tering one another in Republic Street, Valletta. The struggle took place at 11am, and resulted in Magri's hospitalisation. The court heard Magri's testa- ment, which it then corroborated against the CCTV footage pre- sented by the prosecution. Cassar did not ordain to speak for fear of incriminating himself. Magri recounted that he had arrived at the location at 11am. Shortly afterwards, Cassar ar- rived, approached Magri and be- gan to taunt him over the murder charge he currently stands ac- cused of. Magri said he respond- ed by saying: "You set my door on fire and you have caused me all this trouble. You haven't heard the last of this." The court did not find Magri guilty of committing slight bodily harm towards Cassar. Despite the fact that the prosecution present- ed a medical certificate, the court felt that it could not condemn Magri because Cassar would not give evidence. In relation to the charge of wil- fully disturbing public order, the court said that the prosecu- tion had failed to bring forward enough evidence to show that public peace had been disrupted by the accused. The prosecution also accused Magri of breaching his release conditions, which precluded him from approaching or attempting to suborn any witnesses to the case. This would have been satis- fied, the Court felt, since Cassar is indeed a witness. However, the evidence clearly demonstrated that it was Cassar who purpose- fully approached him in the busy thoroughfare. The Court said it was unable to convict Magri for breaking his bail conditions on the grounds that the CCTV footage showed the accused raising his finger when responding to Cassar. Deniro Magri was cleared from all charges brought against him. THE unlucky wedding party that suffered the worst of a nationwide black-out in 2013 has managed to win compensation after wedding hall Castello Dei Baroni, of Wardi- ja, failed to restore back-up power. On 20 September 2013, Malta was struck by a nationwide power cut – for most meaning an evening without air condition- ing but, for some, an outage that caused considerably greater outrage. Roberta Cutajar, whose wedding recep- tion was brought to a halt when the lights could not be restored after the venue's gen- erator failed, demanded she be refunded the money she had paid in a consumer complaint to the court. "You can imagine my disappointment, to say the least, of my wedding ending in such a way," Cutajar said in her complaint. Castello Dei Baroni Limited, who had hosted the reception, argued that the out- come could not be attributed to them- selves, blaming the persons responsible for the supply of electricity, and refusing to grant a refund of approximately €3,000 which the couple had paid before the inci- dent occurred. Cutajar added that the venue became dan- gerous for guests in the dark, given that the area where the reception took place had a large pool in its centre. Witnesses confirmed that the event was thoroughly disrupted when the generator went on and off at least six times, making a huge amount of noise the whole time. The band was silenced, and no backup music, such as a CD player, was provided by Castello Dei Baroni. Food was also apparently delayed, with staff having to use their mobiles for light and with almost no appliances functioning. The wedding cake had to be cut far away indoors, where the only light was left, which could only be accessed by circumnavigating the pool and climbing six flights of stairs in the dark, a feat made no easier when wear- ing wedding attire. Despite the 'total darkness', the guests also elected to remain outside due to the stifling heat inside the building. Eventually, a makeshift spotlight was con- structed with the assistance of the bride's cousin – an electrician – using an extension cord and a 500W bulb borrowed from the cameraman, who had been unable to work in those conditions. He also noted the lack of maintenance that had been performed on the generator. The court agreed that the venue owners should have been responsible in ensuring that the generator would have functioned properly in such circumstances so that the wedding could continue smoothly. The Cutajars were awarded €1,915.69, after the court considered that the couple would be eligible for VAT refunds. Murder suspect Deniro Magri not guilty of suborning witness Unlucky bride wins compensation after blackout shuts down wedding