Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533939
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 APRIL 2025 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt A nurse who was stabbed by her colleague told a court she could not understand the reason behind the attack. ON Tuesday morning, the compila- tion of evidence against the 36-year- old Indian man, a nurse at Mater Dei Hospital who is accused of stabbing his colleague, a 41-year-old woman, who is also nurse, began before the court. The court ruled that there is enough prima facie evidence for the Indian man who stabbed his fe- male colleague in the arm to stand accused and face trial. The victim was summoned to tes- tify in court on Tuesday. She said the accused and her were still friends, and wished to forgive him and drop the case against him. The nurse explained that she could not think of one reason why the accused attacked her in such a manner. When the prosecution asked her to describe the wounds she suf- fered, the woman explained that the stab wounds on her arm re- quired some stitches and that she will require further physiotherapy as the tendon was also damaged. Inspector Michael Vella testified about the attack and said that in- vestigations revealed that the ac- cused and the victim worked in the same ward at Mater Dei Hospital, and they were close friends who frequently went out together. The woman allegedly told the po- lice inspectors that on the day of the attack, she went to grab her jacket from the staff changing rooms and upon turning around, the accused was behind her and he subsequent- ly stabbed her there and then. Upon being questioned by the po- lice as to why the man had attacked her, she replied "I don't know", and told the court that no arguments have ever arisen between them. The court denied bail which was requested by the defence. The defence also requested the court to appoint medical expert Mario Scerri to examine the vic- tim and determine the nature and permanence of her injuries. The request was granted by Magistrate Astrid May Grima. The accused was assisted by law- yer Amadeus Cachia. Attorney General lawyer Guiliana Magro Conti and Inspector Miche- al Vella prosecuted. Nurse stabbed by colleague tells court she could not understand reason behind attack After MaltaToday report, tree near St John's Co- Cathedral could be transplanted to Hastings Gardens Enough prime facie evidence for nurse who stabbed colleague to face trial MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt THE St John Cathedral Foun- dation has written to the Environment and Resourc- es Authority to propose the transplantation of one of the protected Ficus trees near the Saint John Co-Cathedral to Hastings Garden. The relocation of the tree is being proposed to allow the construction of a subterra- nean substation beneath the tree. Although the foundation was granted a permit to build the substation four years ago, the removal of the tree still re- quires an environmental per- mit, which is pending a deci- sion by the authority. The application initially pro- posed relocating the tree to a car park in Ta' Qali. However, on Tuesday morning, following the publication of the story in MaltaToday, the foundation, through its environmental consultant Jonathan Henwood, suggested moving it to the more prominent location of Hastings Gardens instead. The cluster of Ficus trees in front of the cathedral and near the Great Siege monument forms one of the largest roost- ing sites for the White Wagtail (Zakak Abjad) in Malta. Speaking to MaltaToday on Tuesday, Henwood also con- firmed that no works will be carried out between October and April, when White Wag- tails winter in Malta and use these trees as a roosting area. He also clarified that, unlike pine trees, which typically do not survive transplantation, Ficus trees have a very high chance of surviving the pro- cess. The decision to place the sub- station beneath one of the trees followed previous attempts by the foundation to find an al- ternative location. However, these efforts were hindered by the discovery of shelters in the area. The St John's Cathedral Foundation was granted a permit to erect a subterranean substation beneath one of the protected trees (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Saint John Cathedral Foundation proposes moving one of the historic Ficus trees near St John's Co-Cathedral to Hastings Gardens in Valletta, instead of a car park in Ta' Qali as originally planned