Man charged with Maltese pensioner’s murder in Plymouth

Brian Short, aged 52, faced Plymouth magistrates accused of killing the 76-year-old Maltese pensioner, who was discovered dead in his apartment on February 6.

Short, wearing a blue shirt and with short grey hair and glasses, spoke only to confirm his name and address and was remanded in custody. He will appear again at Plymouth crown court on Wednesday.

As he was taken down there were shouts of "We love you Brian" from his family and friends in a packed public gallery.

Michael Brincat's body, known as 'Maltese Mike', was found at his Devonport flat. A post-mortem examination found he had been asphyxiated. He was last seen alive at his home in Marlborough House, Granby Way, the day before.

Short, from Devonport, was arrested early on Friday. He was questioned by police over the weekend and charged with Brincat's murder on Saturday night.

Short was held in custody until his appearance at Plymouth Magistrates' Court this morning.

Brincat's family has paid tribute to the well-known Devonport character, who had difficulty getting around.

Brincat, who was from Malta, had two brothers and two sisters, plus his stepsister Evelyn Attard, from his mother's first marriage.

Evelyn Attard, aged 86, described her brother as  kind person. "He helped everybody that he could. If he saw a man in the street he would buy him coffee."

His family remembers that Brincat served in the merchant navy and was awarded a medal for service during the Suez crisis in the 1950s.