Copyright maltatoday
Two men appeared before the court on Wednesday, accused of seriously injuring two foreign nationals during a violent altercation in St Julian’s earlier this month. Luca Emanuele Corito, 23, from Isla, and Owen Catania, 26, from Marsa, were arraigned before the court. The incident occurred on 20 October 2025, at around 4:50am, in Paceville. Earlier that same day, police had received a separate report of a fight in the same area, but upon arrival had found no one at the scene. Later, after reviewing CCTV footage from a nearby hotel, officers identified the two suspects. One of the accused was arrested immediately, while the other was arrested at the Marsa Police Station. The victims, who had given physical descriptions of their aggressors but no names, were no longer in Malta by the time of the arraignment. Corito was charged with multiple counts, including two charges of grievous bodily harm, disturbing public order, recidivism, and breach of bail conditions imposed by a previous court decree. Catania, who works as a security guard, pleaded guilty to the charges against him. His defence argued that he had cooperated fully with the police and entered an early guilty plea. The court sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for four years, and issued a restraining order in favour of the victims. Corito pleaded not guilty to all charges. The prosecution requested a separation of proceedings so that each accused would be tried separately. The prosecution opposed Corito’s bail request, citing the seriousness of the offences and his previous breaches of bail conditions, arguing that he could not be trusted to abide by new ones. It also noted that the accused continued assaulting one of the victims even when he was visibly grievously injured. The defence did not object to the imposition of a protection order, even though the victims had already left Malta, and argued that the evidence against Corito rested mainly on CCTV footage while key witnesses were abroad. After hearing submissions, the court denied bail and ordered that Corito be kept in custody pending proceedings. Lawyers Nicholas and Mario Mifsud appeared for Luca Emanuele Corito, while Lennox Vella represented Owen Catania. The prosecution was led by Inspector Kelsey Bugeja and AG lawyer Martina Calleja. Magistrate Leonard Caruana presided over the case.
