A Bulgarian man standing trial for attempting to murder his former lover yesterday told jurors how he stabbed her because he was jealous that she had another boyfriend.

Petro Dimitov Krushkov, 37, is charged with attempting to murder his former girlfriend Therese Cachia by stabbing her in her bed early on Christmas Day in 2004. He is also charged with being in possession of a sharp and pointed instrument without a police licence.

During his testimony yesterday, the accused explained how he went to Ms Cachia’s house after he was told that she had a new boyfriend about whom she had not told him.

“I went to her flat and found them lying down in bed, both naked. I was shocked and I stopped and stared at them. After a few minutes she woke up and saw me there. She got out of bed and started swearing. I told her to remain calm and wake up the man to see if he was just a one-night-stand or her boyfriend. I told her I didn’t want to fight but she slapped me.”

He continued: “I remembered about the knife, got it out, stabbed her and let go of it… I don’t know why I stabbed her… I cannot imagine why I did that to her because I loved her and she was very important to me… I didn’t want to hurt her but I was jealous… I didn’t even want to slap her let alone stab her… I had no intention to kill Therese or put her life in danger… I could not believe what I had just done.”

He explained that he first came to Malta in 1999 and met Ms Cachia at Fuego in Qawra in December 2002. He said they started dating and met each other every day.

“This excellent relationship continued and eventually I lost my job and started working with Therese Cachia’s brother-in law, who had a tobacco company. We were having a good time and we were planning a future together,” he said.

The accused continued that in January 2004 he went back to Bulgaria to visit his family. He said she usually sent him SMSs telling him that she was missing him, that she was nothing without him.

He said he returned on 2 May 2004 and came by catamaran this time because the last time he came to Malta he was stopped at the airport. He said he paid a customs officer e500 and he let him into Malta.

He said that towards the end of August, she told him that she wanted to meet her friends and told him that if he wanted to remain with her, he could wait for her at her flat.

On Christmas Eve, he said he went to a bar in Qawra and saw Ms Cachia with her friends and family there. “I went inside and we started drinking. I asked Therese if we could get together again but she told me that it was not the right time. At 2am this man Jesmond came and he started kissing Therese. When I asked her sister, at first she said that he is Therese’s new boyfriend but then she said that he was just a good friend. Later that night I went to my flat and when I went inside and was about to place my key on the key holder, I saw the key to Therese’s flat. I never told her I had the key. I remembered what happened in the bar and I wanted to see if he’s her boyfriend or just a friend. I was very drunk because I drank a minimum of two bottles of vodka. I took the knife to protect myself just in case Jesmond was there and assaulted me,” Mr Krushkov said.

Testifying, Ms Cachia explained that she had a relationship with Mr Krushkov and after they broke up he remained a friend of the family.

She said that on Christmas Eve she was having a drink at a bar in Qawra and he was there and was “a bit tipsy.”

“I decided to change bar and left with Jesmond Scerri. At around 6am we went home and went to sleep. At around 7.30am I felt someone touching my shoulder. The man (the accused) told me to get out of bed and I told him that I was going to call the police. But he remained there. I pushed him and he fell. He got up, opened his jacket, took the knife out of the jacket, pushed me onto the bed and told me ‘This is what you want then’ and stabbed me,” she said.

Under cross-examination, Ms Cachia said she could only remember being hit once although she said she had three stab wounds. “I thought I was going to die and I needed help. I didn’t think of going after him or stopping him from leaving,” she said.

Dr Michael Spiteri, who examined Ms Cachia in hospital, said the 44-year-old patient had multiple stab wounds in her lower chest and abdomen. One stab wound went right through the right breast, he said. Upon examining Ms Cachia outside the courtroom yesterday, Dr Spiteri said the first wound had healed completely and there was almost no scarring. The second wound on the underside of the breast had healed and left a scar while the third wound had also healed with some degree of scarring.

Dr Spiteri said the wounds were in line so it was probable that all three wounds were caused with one blow, adding that considerable force had been applied.

Earlier in yesterday’s sitting, Police Inspector Carmelo Magri said that during the interrogation, the accused said that he had lost his mind and even used the word, in Maltese, “mignun” (mad) and “bananas”.

The trial continues today.

Senior Counsel to the Republic Anthony Barbara prosecuted while Dr Malcolm Mifsud appeared for the accused.