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5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 DECEMBER 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt THOMAS CILIA tcilia@mediatoday.com.mt Witness recalls how she found bullying victim in distress and 'clutching her side' A 15-year-old girl who was al- legedly assaulted and stabbed was found visibly in distress and 'clutching her side' after having been allegedly subject to an attack involving a penknife, a passer-by told the Court. Criminal proceedings against Jake Dalli Balzan, 21, who stands accused of causing slight injury to the victim, complicity, extortion, and possession of a firearm, re- sumed on Tuesday. A friend of the alleged 15-year- old victim testified that despite her being friends with the victim for around two years, the victim had not told her much about the bullying she had endured. She did recall, however, that on one occa- sion the victim had informed her through a telephone call that she had given €40 to a 13-year-old girl after she found her waiting with a knife in the school toilets. She further recounted how on the day of the incident, she had a presentiment that something hap- pened to her friend once she saw an ambulance pass by. A passer-by also took the witness stand, testifying that during the af- ternoon of 21 November 2024 she noted a girl crying and clutching her side. She recalled how the girl replied that she had been stabbed with a penknife when asked if she required assistance. Though she confirmed that the girl was visibly in distress, she could not confirm whether she saw blood as she had maintained quite a distance from her. Once asked for her parents' phone number, the girl lost con- sciousness, the witness informed the Court. The Court also heard how the girl's mother had stated that her daughter had received threats for some time. The father of the alleged victim also testified, stating how he noted distinct changes in the behaviour of his daughter as soon as the scho- lastic year had kicked off. He also recalled that on various occasions, he and other members of his fam- ily had noted missing amounts of money, with approximately €800 in total going missing. To this end, a small camera in the kitchen was installed. Through footage obtained by said camera, the father stated, he caught his daughter in the act of taking mon- ey. When confronted by her fa- ther, on the same day and in the presence of her headmaster, the daughter, the man recalled, trem- bled, stating that 'they will kill me'. At this point, the girl had explained what had been taking place, with the father deciding that his daughter was not to at- tend school until the matter was resolved. Soon after, the girl had received threatening messages on social media platform Instagram. Recounting the day of the attack which led his daughter to be taken to hospital, the father stated that he had been informed through a telephone call by a woman that his daughter was 'lying on the ground' even though, the father noted, she was meant to be at home. After rushing to the scene, the father noted that he found his daughter 'covered' by a sheet, which led him to expect the worst. It transpired that the sheet was used as the girl felt cold. The father testified that this was also not the first time his daughter wound up at the hospital, insofar as she had been on various occa- sions due to panic attacks. When cross-examined by de- fence lawyer David Bonello, the father confirmed that his daughter told him that she had recognised the written tattoo on the hand of her aggressor. It was noted by Dr. Bonello that the accused does not have such a tattoo. A request for bail was also de- nied during the sitting. The compilation of evidence against Jake Dalli Balzan, 21, resumed on Tuesday HERITAGE activists are alarmed by the proposed in- ternal demolition and an ad- ditional two floors on top of a townhouses in Dingli circus in Sliema The application presented by developer Alan Bonnici is proposing the internal altera- tions to the existing house, the construction an additional full floor and a receded unit. This new development if approved will house an office, a shop and three overlying apartments. Objecting to the proposal heritage active Edward Said warned that the development will compromise the largely preserved streetscape of Ding- li Circus, one of Sliema's few historical piazzas set within the Urban Conservation Area. The house in question at the corner between Triq il-Cre- che and Pjazza Sir Adrian Dingli forms part of a triptych of dwellings designed by the highly acclaimed architect Gi- useppe Cachia Caruana. Ac- cording to Said all three land- mark buildings are worthy of scheduling. Cachia Caruana designed many terraced houses in Sliema particularly in Victo- ria Junction, Dingli Street and Tower Road. An article published in the Architect describes his style as "clearly eclectic, incorporating the vernacular, colonial and hints of Art Deco" yet generally attaining "an unpresumptuous syntax". The property is also in close vicinity to the listed Ursuline convent on Creche Street. Din l-Art Ħelwa is also ob- jecting to the application in question warning that it will negatively impact the streets- cape, which contributes to the heritage value of its context, resulting in breaches of estab- lished planning policies. Over the past decades a number of developments have been ap- proved in the vicinity including a six storey block housing the meat and eats butcher and an apartment block whose blank party wall overlooks the build- ing earmarked for develop- ment. But a large portion of the square itself has remained largely intact. Heritage activ- ists fear a domino effect on the remaining intact buildings in Dingli Circus. Additional floors proposed on Dingli Circus landmark