Theft investigation led to arraignment for involuntary killing

A police inspector yesterday told the court how a man who was being investigated in connection with theft revealed that his flat mate had prepared a dose of heroin meant for a person who died of an overdose the following day.

Inspector Neil Harrison was testifying in the compilation of evidence against Raymond Abela, 35, of Naxxar, who stands charged with involuntarily killing Victor Calleja, 38 last December. Abela is also charged with drug trafficking.

Insp. Harrison testified that Calleja died in a flat in Floriana on December 2 last year. Calleja was known to drug squad police as he had a drug problem but nothing suspicious was found in his flat or in the car.

The autopsy had revealed a puncture mark and it was established Calleja had died of a heart failure caused by an overdose.

Insp. Harrison said that during investigations, Chris Spiteri, who was being investigated for theft and who was a flat mate of the accused, told police that he had seen Abela prepare heroin and that the accused had told him the drug was meant for Calleja.

Insp. Harrison said an analysis of calls made from mobile phones showed that the victim and the accused had spoken to each other on a number of occasions.

He said the accused had denied involvement in the case but had refused to reply to all other questions put by the police.

The victim's girlfriend, Rita Farrugia, testified that on the day in question, she had tried to wake Calleja up at about 4.45 a.m. He was snoring and seemed to be unconscious. She said she called his brother, with whom he worked, and the Floriana polyclinic. The doctor who went said his heart was still beating but by the time an ambulance arrived, he had died.

Farrugia said she knew Calleja had a drug problem and used to argue with him when she suspected he was abusing drugs. She said that so far as she knew he never abused drugs at home and he had told her he was off drugs.

Some two months before his death, she said she heard him speak to someone called Raymond on his mobile phone, and when she had asked him who he had spoken to, he had denied speaking to anyone.

She said that the day before he died they had gone to Valletta and returned home at about 5 p.m. and he had gone to sleep at 8 p.m. She could not tell whether he had spoken to anyone while she had gone shopping the day before.

Abela was granted bail against a deposit of Lm5,000 and a personal guarantee of Lm5,000.

Dr Vince Galea and Dr John Barbara appeared for the accused.