Lawyers signal appeal in attempted murder case

Lawyers acting on behalf of a man serving a life sentence for attempted murder will bring the case before the Court of Appeal to argue for a reduction in the minimum jail term he must serve before he is eligible for parole.

Edward Celecia, 54, was convicted of attempted murder in 2012 after he stabbed a woman in the chest and neck. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and the presiding judge, Mrs Karen Ramagge Prescott, recommended that he not be released until he served a minimum ten years for the premeditated attack.

Celecia’s victim, a 33-year old woman who he had lured to his flat in Laguna Estate under a false pretence, had staggered down the street after the attack before collapsing in a pool of blood.

The way the case was dealt with by the judicial system bears striking similarities to the David Bonicci case which has been the subject of highly contentious legal arguments of late.

In both cases the defendants were serving minimum jail terms on the basis of a recommendation.

However, that practice was subsequently deemed unconstitutional and both cases have since been referred back to the court so that the recommended sentence could be replaced with a fixed term.

Earlier this year, Bonicci had his minimum term set at 12 years and four months –reduced from the original recommendation of 17 years and 55 days.

At a short hearing before the Supreme Court yesterday Celecia had his recommended jail term substituted for a fixed term of ten years before he is eligible for parole.

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