Lawyer-turned-squatter refered to Caruana Galizia murder in threats to former colleagues, court told

Members of a local law firm had feared for their personal safety and that of their loved ones after a former colleague whose consultancy contract was not renewed by the firm, bombarded them with threatening messages vouching revenge, a court was told on Monday.

Bartosz Marcin Adruszaniec,  42-year old Polish lawyer who ended up a squatter in abandoned premises lacking water and electricity, was back in court as a number of former colleagues and a relative of one of the partners, recipients of the allegedly threatening mail, took the witness stand.

The accused, who was remanded in custody upon his arraignment in April, is pleading not guilty to charges of harassment, blackmail and threats, instilling fear in the partners and other employees at the firm.

Read - Lawyer sent 87 pages of threatening email, court hears

He is also facing charges relating to simple theft from a shop and an attempted robbery from a private residence at St Paul’s Bay.

“It was scary. It put me under mental stress. I felt I was targeted,” recalled the personal assistant to one of the partners at the law firm, the name of whom was banned by the court after parte civile lawyer Stefano Filletti pointed out...