The trial has begun against five Maltese youths, aged between 15 and 18, accused of assaulting a 14-year-old boy in Sliema.The victim testified that a group of more than ten people punched him in the face, with a doctor warning that another blow to his eye could result in permanent vision loss.At the start of the session, two of the accused admitted the charges, and Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi referred their cases to the Juvenile Court for sentencing according to TVM News. Under oath, the victim described the incident. On the day it occurred, he was walking with friends along The Point waterfront in Sliema when they noticed a young man looking down at his phone, appearing upset. They approached to ask if he was okay, but he became angry, shouted at them, and told them to leave. The victim said they ignored his reaction and continued walking. He added that he had never seen this individual before.The group continued towards the sea, and shortly after, the victim saw a group of more than ten people approaching. When they reached him, his friends panicked and ran away. The victim stayed, surrounded by people he did not know, except for the boy he had spoken to earlier.He recalled that one of the group members asked, “Is this him?” and immediately they began punching him repeatedly in the face. At one point, he was hit in the leg, tripped, and fell to the ground, losing consciousness.When he regained his senses, he was surrounded by several people, including two friends who had already called police, ambulance, and his parents. The victim reported feeling dazed and noted that he could not move his lips or open his right eye due to pain and burning. His friends told him his face was covered in blood, and he also felt pain in his wrist and ribs.He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital and the following day to the dental department due to severe mouth pain, which revealed broken teeth. After the incident, he required school nurse examinations, a private ophthalmologist’s check that found blood inside his right eye, and medical limitations on sports, especially boxing and contact sports. A follow-up MRI was scheduled due to new pain in his head and ribs when stretching.The victim stated he missed several school assessments, affecting annual exam results and his school leaving certificate, and experiences pain in his eyes when using his laptop. When asked to identify the accused in court, he said he did not recognize anyone.A video of the incident was also presented in court, showing the victim falling to the ground after being struck.•