Acquitted from charges of attempted theft

A court acquitted 34-year-old Stephen Vella from Qormi from charges of attempted murder after the victim renounced her actions against him.

On Valentine's Day 2011 the police was called at a residence in St Julian's after a woman was heard calling for help from her balcony.

The victim, Sandra Camenzuli, had claimed that for the past seven years she had been in a relationship with the accused, but wanted to stop seeing him. The man had argued with his partner, who claimed that he punched her four times, dragged her to bed by the hair and for a few seconds tried to smother her with a pillow.

The woman said she lashed out at the aggressor and managed to run into another room and call her relatives. Vella followed her, tore the telephone wire from the wall and placed it round her neck momentarily. The victim had suffered slight lesions.

However Camenzuli told Magistrate Audrey Demicoli that she was back in a relationship with Vella and she forgave him for what happened in 2011. The accused's partner renounced all criminal action against her man and dropped the police report she had filed.

The court acquitted the accused.

Lawyers Veronique dalli and Dean Hili appeared for the accused.