Fresh criminal charges have been levied against Abner Aquilina, the man facing trial for the rape and murder of Paulina Dembska, after he is claimed to have stabbed another inmate in the eye with a pen at Mount Carmel Hospitals’ forensic unit.
According to reports, the event came without provocation. The victim, Charlo Cutajar, told the court that over time conflicts with Aquilina had been increasing inside their common ward. Following Aquilina’s claimed contamination of a shared sugar container with dirt, conditions worsened. Cutajar claimed Aquilina charged him the following day and stabbed him in the right eye totally unprovoked.
Saying he was still not sure why he had been assaulted, Cutajar called the event swift and illogical.
Mark Gatt, another patient in the same ward, verified Cutajar’s story by stating the stabbing took place during a regular activity connected with submitting a purchase order. He said Aquilina turned fast and stabbed Cutajar without notice or previous dispute.
The newest attack adds to Aquilina’s fame. He was accused in January 2022 of the cruel rape and murder of 29-year-old Paulina Dembska, whose lifeless body was discovered in a public park in Sliema. The case set off national vigils, furious public outcry, and revived discussion on violence against women and mental health procedures within Malta’s criminal justice system.
Aquilina is now housed in the forensic psychiatric unit at Mount Carmel Hospital, where concerns regarding the monitoring and security of high-risk patients have been raised.
Ongoing are the legal inquiries into the recent stabbing case.
