Updated | Paceville victim ‘went down like a sack of potatoes’

A police inspector has told a jury how a Romanian man, on trial for causing the death of a Sudanese partygoer in Paceville three years ago had told police that he had knocked the victim over in retaliation to a slap to the face and had “only realised he was seriously hurt because his eyes started rolling”.

Police Inspector Carlos Cordina was testifying in the trial by jury of Romanian national Atonel Dobre, who is accused with causing the death of 26-year-old Osama Al Shazliyay Saleh from Sudan, nicknamed “Sunshine”, by knocking him to the ground, got underway this morning.

Dobre had also told police he was "very sorry" for causing the man’s death.

The jury heard how, at around 06:30am on the 17th March 2012, while Dobre had been socialising at Clique Bar in Paceville when Saleh accidentally collided with Dobre’s friend while on his way to the bathroom, causing the friend’s nose to bleed.

The two then left the bar and Saleh approached them when they were outside.

CCTV footage from a nearby shop showed Saleh exit the bar at about 6.30am. He was seen talking to others outside a nearby pizza outlet.  A few minutes later he is is seen looking down the road towards the entrance of the bar, where two men were standing.

The men appeared to argue, said the inspector and at one point one of them hit Saleh, who collapsed to the ground, ending up motionless, on his back.

Dobre had punched the Sudanese man with such force that he knocked him over. Saleh hit his head on the pavement and lost consciousness, the impact with the pavement fracturing his skull and causing intra-cranial bleeding.

Saleh was declared brain dead and taken off life support three days later, on the 20th of March 2012.

The two Romanians were identified following police investigations and the release of CCTV footage. Maltese police, through the office of the Attorney General, had issued a European Arrest Warrant for Dobre, who was then escorted to Malta. During the compilation of evidence against Dobre, the court was told that the accused had left the island for Romania some five hours after the incident, but had voluntarily bought a flight to Malta when he learned that the police were looking for him. He was arrested at the airport on the strength of the European Arrest Warrant.

Inspector Cordina went on to say that Dobre’s companion told the police that that he had argued with the victim in the toilets of another club earlier on that night, subsequently being elbowed in the face by Saleh.

He told Dobre what had happened and Dobre had tried to calm him down, suggesting they have another drink. Soon afterwards, when they went outside “the dark-skinned man went up to them and started arguing and pushing and Dobre pushed him, he lost balance and fell”.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto is representing Dobre. Lawyer Larry Formosa is appearing in parte civile for the heirs of the victim.