Lawyers demand release of Qawra bar where patron had died following argument

Lawyers for a Qawra bar owner accused of wilful homicide after kicking a customer who had nagged him and coughed in his drink, are seeking to retrieve possession of the shop which is the accused’s “sole source of income.”

Munchies Pub at Triq it-Turisti has been closed since that fateful morning of June 17 when David Busuttil, the 59-year old owner, landed under arrest after clashing with Roger Dudley-Ward, 60, who had been drinking at the bar when a heated argument broke out between the two.

A call reached the Qawra police station at around 1.30am on that Friday morning, informing that an ambulance had just called for a person who appeared to be grievously injured and unconscious on the pavement at Triq it-Turisti, said Inspector Ryan Vella when testifying on Monday in the ongoing murder compilation.

A friend of the injured man had approached paramedics saying that someone had kicked the victim in the face as he bent down to pick up something, causing him to fall over backwards down the steps outside the pub.

A police officer instructed to check out the accident spot, confirmed that there was a “reddish liquid” splattered over the pavement as well as blood-soaked...