Frank Portelli says he regrets contesting for the Nationalist Party leadership, which will be held over two phases next month.

Portelli is one of four contenders for the post, and since announcing his candidature he has been the subject of various attacks in parts of the media, most notably on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s website.

Writing on Facebook, Portelli said he feels responsible for the hurt he caused to his family because of “these unjust attacks”.

“I regret contesting the post,” he said.

In another post, he specifically refers to Daphne Caruana Galizia (Dawn Crocodiles bil-Guh – DCG), uploading a photo of a man landing in a lake by parachute with crocodiles waiting to snap him up on the beach.