Couple charged with gambling donations made towards 7-year-old son battling cancer

Jun 17 2022

A couple living in Mosta have been arraigned in court on charges of gambling donations made towards the treatment of their seven-year-old son battling cancer.

A 27-year-old mother and 31-year-old father were charged with misappropriation, fraud and money laundering, pleading not guilty to the charges.

The Defense requested that the couple be released from custody and a ban be put on their names, arguing that they were both Maltese and cooperative with the police. Dr. Karl Muscat from the Attorney General’s Office testified that the father should not be released, claiming that the accused defrauded their own son and others.

Meanwhile, Puttinu Cares took to Facebook to highlight that the charitable organisation treated the child and his parents as it does other cases, going on to state that at no time were funds directly given from Puttinu Cares to the family. The Facebook post expressed sorrow in the fact that certain online comments were trying to besmirch the good name of such NGOs.

What do you make of this?

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WATCH: Netflix release teaser for Marilyn Monroe biopic ‘Blonde’

Jun 17 2022

Netflix’s first look at Blonde, the controversial biopic surrounding the life and times of Marilyn Monroe, has been driving viewers across the globe into a frenzy.

Directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas as Monroe, the film is based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer prize finalist Joyce Carol Oates.

Dominik has called the film a story of “how a childhood trauma shapes an adult who’s split between a public and a private self,” with the original writer calling a particular rape scene from the rough cut a “startling, brilliant, very disturbing and perhaps most surprisingly an utterly ‘feminist’ interpretation”.

Armas, who previously appeared in blockbuster hits like War Dogs and James Bond’s No Time To Die described the film as “the most intense work” she has ever done, with the film rumoured to be eyeing an Oscar or two at the 95th Academy Awards.

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Police begin murder investigation after 60-year-old dies in St. Paul’s Bay bar argument

Jun 17 2022

A 60-year-old has died after falling down a flight of steps in a St. Paul’s Bay bar argument early this morning.

The argument took place at around 1:30am in an establishment in Triq it-Turisti, with the man being admitted to Mater Dei with grievous injuries while the police went to the scene.

The man was certified dead soon after, with the police investigating the case as a homicide.

The Malta Police Force is communicating with a third party individual for their investigation, with magistrate Dr Astrid May Grima leading the inquiry.

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Pregnant 17-year-old had cable wrapped around neck by boyfriend

Jun 16 2022

A man has been charged with attacking and injuring his 17-year-old pregnant girlfriend, MaltaToday reported.

Inspector Eman Hayman arraigned a 22-year-old man from St Julians in court before Magistrate Astrid May Grima. The man was accused of attacking and causing bodily harm to his pregnant girlfriend, injuring her and threatening her.

The incident is said to have taken place on the 14th of June following an argument over a t-shirt. He was subsequently arrested after police received reports that the accused put his hand around the victim’s neck.

Franco Debono, his lawyer, said the man was arrested after voluntarily going to the police station to check on unrelated matters. The man insisted upon arrest that the marks on the victim’s neck were self-inflicted.

The victim however claimed that the man visited her in hospital to continue the argument. The accused explained that the woman made the marks found on her neck with a mobile phone charger cable. He instructed his sister to call the police.

Debono told the court that there was strong contestation to the facts, arguing for the man to be released on bail. He pointed to the fact that he didn’t reside with the alleged victim and that he was ‘genuine.’

Inspector Hayman said there were conflicted versions of the events and that police carried out lengthy exercises of comparison of said versions. The police arrived at the conclusion that the victim’s version made more sense, partly because the argument had continued elsewhere.

The court upheld the bail request, against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000. He was ordered to observe a curfew, with a protection order in favour of the 17-year-old imposed.

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