These facts were uncovered during the testimony of Hashmi Sukri, an immigrant who is also being detained at the Hal Safi barracks. Sukri was testifying against Hammadi Ben Abdallah Rumdani who is being accused of killing Mohsen Ben Khediri Ben Ali on the night of 30 August at the barracks.

Presiding magistrate Saviour Demicoli ruled sufficient prima facie evidence had been presented for a bill of indictment to be drawn up against the accused.

Sukri said the accused had not wanted to land at Lampedusa because he said he had already been deported from there for stabbing someone. “We asked him to take us to Italy but he refused because he said he had trouble there and had been deported,” said the witness. He explained that Rumdani had told them the full story at the barracks after they arrived in Malta.

“He told us he had been arrested and later deported because he had stabbed someone around two or three years ago,” said Sukri. When questioned about the relationship between the accused and the victim on the boat, the witness said he did not notice anything out of the ordinary and described it as a “normal

relationship.”

On the night of the incident, Sukri was watching television in the corridor together with another 15 or 20 detainees when someone came running and screaming, “He killed him! He killed him!” “Then I saw the accused come out of the room holding a metal pipe from my bedstead that was dripping blood,” continued Sukri, getting very agitated.

Another immigrant was called to the stand to give an eyewitness account of what he had seen the night of the incident. Ali Ahmed Mohammed said that between 12am and 1am he had woken up and seen the accused beating the victim aggressively with a metal pipe. “I woke up and heard the accused tell the victim, ‘Wake up! Wake up!’ while beating him at the same time with a metal pipe,” said Mohammed.

The witness was about 1.5m away from the victim’s bed because his bed was on the

opposite side of the room. He said the victim did not move or say anything as the accused was beating him.

“As I saw this scene, I ran out of the room screaming, ‘He killed him! He killed him!’,” said Mohammed. He explained that the accused went out of the room still holding the blood-spattered metal pipe and then went back in, a detail also mentioned by Sukri, the other witness.

Both the immigrants who testified at yesterday’s sitting said they had not seen or heard anything of sexual encounters. Rumours have been rife about the incident having sexual echoes. Both witnesses were asked whether they had seen anyone make sexual advances on the accused or whether they had heard of any plans of a sexual attack on the accused during the night.

Both men said they had heard nothing of the sort and had not seen anything sexual during their time at the detention centre. Both of them also said the accused and the victim seemed to be bosom buddies and were almost joined at the hip. None of them had seen them argue or fight.

The case continues.

Inspectors Walter Spiteri and Christopher Pullicino prosecuted while Dr Anthony Cutajar appeared as legal aide for the accused.