A Google Translate entry containing the phrases "I can't take it anymore. It's all [her] fault," and "I will die thanks to her" were among the material recovered from the mobile phone of a Sicilian man accused of attempting to murder his two children.

The 49-year-old man stands accused of attempting to murder his 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter during an incident on 7 March.

The accused cannot be named under court order and plead not guilty to the charges.

The troubling Italian-to-English translation emerged during the compilation of evidence against him.

Testifying in court, Police Constable Andre Mifsud, stationed within the Homicide Squad, said he was informed of the attempted murder case on 8 March. He explained that an examination of the accused's mobile phone revealed several Google Translate entries involving translations between Italian and English.

Inspector Kurt Zahra had instructed him to establish whether the suspect had been admitted to any hospital or health centre, leading him to carry out checks at Mater Dei Hospital, St James Hospital, St Thomas Hospital, and health centres.

However, no patient matching the details provided had been registered.

Investigations recovered numerous telephone calls, WhatsApp conversations, videos, and photographs from the device. A particularly high volume of communications were recorded on 7 March, the day of the alleged incident.

Mifsud was provided with a copy of the data extracted from the accused's mobile phone and instructed to examine its contents for any material relevant to the investigation.

Among the communications recovered was an exchange between the accused and his wife on the day of the incident.

The woman had repeatedly tried to contact their children, but the accused replied in a message which read that "There is no need to control the kids anymore."

He also sent her several videos of the children.

Investigations also revealed that, earlier that day, the accused sent a voice message in Italian to his son, saying: "I'm outside, you can come out."

Another conversation with a male friend of the accused was also found, in which the accused attempted to contact him through WhatsApp.

Other communications involved a contact saved as "Fratello," throughout the evening of 7 March. Some of these messages urged the contact to answer his phone, while another revealed that the accused had asked the individual to come to his location.

Following several unanswered calls, the accused sent his brother a message stating: "I know you're online, answer me."

The following day, on 8 March, the accused sent another message to the contact saved as "Fratello," stating: "The children are okay."

Mifsud also testified that investigators recovered videos and photographs of the children saved on the device, along with images downloaded from Facebook bearing Italian-language quotations. One such quotation read: "When I die, do not cry for me and do not bring me flowers."

Investigators also identified a written entry on Google Translate, prompting the Italian text to be translated into English.

The text included the phrases: "Today I'm going to die. I can't take it anymore. It's all your fault," and "I will die thanks to her."

Accused's daughter was in torn clothes

Earlier in the proceedings, another police officer recounted how the accused's young daughter had been found in a state of extreme panic. The officer recalled noticing a commotion upon returning to the police station, where a young girl and a woman were speaking to his colleagues.

The woman had found the girl walking uphill along the Coast Road from the direction of White Rocks. The child appeared extremely distressed, with her clothes torn, prompting officers to call an ambulance.

The witness explained that he attempted to establish what had happened by questioning the girl, but she was in no condition to provide an account of the incident. Instead, she repeatedly told officers that her brother was dead.

Recognising her distressed state, the officer decided against pressing her for further details.

The girl's mother arrived shortly afterwards and subsequently contacted the accused by video call to ask where he was.

During the conversation, the accused indicated that he was in the Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq area, with the sound of waves audible in the background.

The accused was heard telling her: "You keep the girl; the boy is with God."

The call was abruptly disconnected and further attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Following these developments, police officers coordinated searches in the area where the girl had been found, while steps were taken to establish the location of the accused's mobile phone.

The prosecution is being led by Inspector Kurt Zahra and lawyers Etienne Savona, Kaylie Bonett and Anthony Vella.

The accused is being represented by lawyers Gianella De Marco, Charles Mercieca and Conrad Borg Manche, while lawyers Maxilene Pace and Charmaine Cherrett are appearing as parte civile.

Magistrate Franco Agius is presiding over the case.