Yana Mintoff was called to the witness stand today to testify in the case against her former partner, Romanian national Gheorghe Popa.

Cross examined by lawyer Benjamin Valenzia, Mintoff had to recall her ordeal on the night of 24 October 2016 when Popa allegedly stabbed his partner following a fierce argument. She recalled how she saw the man with a knife when coming down from the stairs of the house in Tarxien. She was carrying a luggage with Popa's belongings.

The accused, allegedly first stabbed her in her arm and then tried to stab her in the chest. Her son, who heard the commotion, rushed to his mother's rescue. The aggressor then allegedly injured her son in the leg.

She told the court that it was thanks to her that Popa managed to grasp the English language. Mintoff, however, knew some very basic Romanian.

Inspector Spiridione Zammit, who is handling the investigation, was also called to testify before Magistrate Joe Mifsud. He explained that the aggressor had never told the police whether his wounds had been inflicted by someone other than himself. The latter had reported that the wounds on Popa might have been self-inflicted.

The accused had said he was suicidal, but court-appointed psychiatrist Anton Grech had said that the man was fit for interrogation. The inspector also revealed that at first, Mintoff and her son were being interrogated and treated as suspects.

However, on the basis of all evidence gathered during investigations, onsite inquiries and all circumstances considered, the inspector had believed Ms Mintoff's version and was 'morally convinced' that he had taken the right decisions.