Trial of Bulgarian man accused of 2014 murder begins

The trial of Emil Atanasov, 29, a Bulgarian accused of the 2014 murder of Serbian national Krstic Dragoljub in St. Paul's Bay got underway today, with Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia giving the jurors an outline of the prosecution's case against the accused.

Atanasov is pleading not guilty to the wilful homicide of Dragoljub, inflicting grievous bodily harm on Zoran Jocic and carrying a knife during the commission of a crime.

Galea Farrugia told the jury that the accused had admitted to stabbing the Serb - a friend of his flatmate - during his interrogation but had claimed he had stabbed him in self-defence after a drunken argument over loud music at night had descended into fisticuffs during which Jocic suffered a broken nose.

A large suvival-type knife and a crowbar, recovered from the scene of the crime, were exhibited in the courtroom this afternoon.

Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and lawyer Elaine Mercieca are prosecuting.

Lawyer Malcolm Mifsud is defence counsel to Atanasov.