A man convicted of grievous bodily harm with a knife tried to overturn his 3-year sentence on appeal. The Court of Criminal Appeal dismissed every single argument and confirmed the sentence in full.
Court of Criminal Appeal · Judge Dr. Edwina Grima LL.D. · 27 March 2026
On the night of 21-22 November 2020 in San Gwann and Sliema, Murad Abdulsalem Mohammed Madi attacked Alla Nouri Mohamed Dhaw with a knife, causing grievous bodily harm. He was also charged with attempted murder, unlawful detention causing bodily harm, carrying a knife without a permit, harassment, threats and stalking. The Magistrates Court convicted him and imposed 3 years imprisonment. Madi appealed on multiple grounds — that the evidence was wrong, that the victim's companion was actually responsible, and that the sentence was excessive. The Court of Criminal Appeal reviewed all the evidence and found the first court had correctly assessed the witnesses and medical evidence. The defence witnesses gave vague, selective accounts that appeared aimed at blaming the victim — not credible grounds for overturning the conviction. On sentence, the 3-year term was actually near the minimum end of the legal range. Every single ground of appeal was dismissed and the original judgment confirmed entirely.
All grounds of appeal dismissed. Original 3-year imprisonment sentence confirmed entirely. No reduction or variation whatsoever.
Criminal Code Ch. 9 Arts. 217, 218 — grievous bodily harm; Art. 251A — stalking; Art. 86 — carrying weapons without permit