22 year-old Dutch national Jelle Rijmpa appeared in court today charged with the murder of Dutch woman Shannon Mak.

Rijmpa was also charged with carrying a knife outside a premises without a licence.

Wearing a white shirt and jeans the accused pleaded not guilty and requested bail, on the basis that he has a permanent residence in Malta, is a European national and has a fixed job.

Inspector Kurt Zahra, who was prosecuting along with Inspector Robert Vella, objected to the request for bail since there were still witnesses who needed to be heard that used to work with Rijmpa. They also opposed due to the gravity of the case.

Lawyer Stefano Filletti appearing as parte civile said that this charge held the maximum penalty which was life in prison and for this reason there were grounds for the accused to abscond if he is released on bail. 

Magistrate Yana Micallef Straface rejected the request for bail in view of the nature of the offence and the early stages of the investigation and the fact that several non official potential witnesses are still to be heard.

The woman was found killed in Santa Venera on Friday morning, lying on the side of the road between two parked cars with evident injuries in Triq il-Mastrudaxxi at 6.20am.

The woman, around 30 years old, had been seen in Qawra a few hours earlier. She was found with her throat slit.

In an official statement on Friday, the police said that she was killed with a pointed and sharp instrument (knife).

Her family members who had just arrived from abroad were present during the arraignment, including the woman's father. The accused was represented by a legal aid lawyer - Leontine Calleja.