Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/662335
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 6 APRIL 2016 MAT THEW AGIUS JURORS have been shown a video of Emil Atanasov's police interrogation, during which he is heard claiming to have acted in self-defence when he fatally stabbed Krstic Dragoljub. Atanasov, a Bulgarian, had lived in the St Paul 's Bay apart- ment where the stabbing took place, since May 2013. He is pleading not guilty to the wil- ful homicide of Dragoljub, in- f licting grievous bodily harm on Zoran Jocic and carrying a knife during the commission of a crime. The jury also heard a pub bar- man allege that Dragoljub, a Serb, had been drinking heavily on the night of his death. Glenn Zahra, a barman at Wat- son Pub explained that he lives in the same block of apartments as the accused and Dragoljub. On the night of the murder, he had knocked on the door of the f lat after neighbours had start- ed calling him up, complaining about the noise. Danny Krsteski, a Macedoni- an, had opened the door, he said. He recalled speaking to Krstes- ki, who "looked drunk " telling him to turn the music down, as it was 1am. That was not done and Zahra eventually switched off the electricity supply. He had returned to his bed and the men had carried on singing for around 15 minutes. The judge asked whether the accused had been in the bar on the night. The witness replied in the negative. On the other hand, the deceased and his friends had been drinking heavily, having consumed "around six pints" of beer before leaving the bar to carry on their carousing in the f lat. Police officers testified that Dragoljub had died at the scene. A tip off about a man wearing bloodstained clothes had led to the arrest of the accused, who was found on a rooftop, hiding between water tanks "to avoid further problems." "I will never forget the sheer amount of blood on the f loor and the clothes of the deceased," testified RIU sergeant Juan Mu- la, one of the officers who had responded to the report of the stabbing. Inspector Joseph Busuttil re- called that when dawn broke, he had noticed a crowbar lying in the grass outside the entrance to the f lats. The apartment owner, Mario Ciappara had told police that he had encountered trouble with noise from the apartment on other occasions. The two Serbs had been at the nearby pub on the night of the incident, Ciappara told the police, adding that he had never seen them be- fore. It appeared that the Serbs had been under the impression that the accused was behind the pow- er cuts and an argument broke out. At one point, Dragoljub had asked the accused for the bath- room. While the accused was showing him where to go, he said Dragoljub had pushed him into his room. The other Serb had started shouting at the accused and ask- ing him why he had switched off the electricity. At one point, the accused was pushed out of the apartment and into the corridor. Seeing that his two assailants were physically stronger and taller than he, the accused had retrieved a knife and a crowbar to defend himself. The trial continues. Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and law- yer Elaine Mercieca are pros- ecuting. Law yer Malcolm Mifsud is de- fence counsel to Atanasov. News Stabbing victim had been drinking heavily on the day of his death, jury told