Farmer shot brother-in-law to scare him off, officer says

A Mellieha farmer charged with trying to seriously injure his brother-in-law by firing a shotgun in his direction told police he only fired the shots to scare him off, a court heard yesterday.

Police Inspector Chris Pullicino told Magistrate Saviour Demicoli that Emmanuel Sammut denied trying to injure his brother-in-law Joseph Attard.

The inspector took the witness stand in the compilation of evidence against Sammut, 45, who is pleading not guilty to trying to injure Attard in the limits of Mellieha on June 13 at about 6 a.m.

He is also pleading not guilty to the possession of the shotgun at the time of the commission of the crime, firing it within 100 metres of a residential area, stealing agricultural products to the detriment of Attard and Joseph Galea, threatening them and exercising a presumed right.

Meanwhile, Attard and Galea are undergoing separate court proceedings and are pleading not guilty to trying to seriously injure Sammut by driving a tractor in his direction.

Inspector Pullicino said Sammut told him that the day before the incident Galea drove a tractor onto his field and Attard was with him. Attard cut some figs but Sammut said he did not tell him anything.

Sammut told the inspector that Galea then drove the tractor in his direction and he managed to avoid being hit by jumping out of the way.

But, the inspector said, Sammut also told him that Galea and Attard punched and kicked him until he ran away and reported the case to police.

The following day Sammut went to his field with his wife and took his shotgun with him.

As he was cutting figs Attard and Galea went to his field again, his wife got scared and ran into his van. So Sammut fired two shots in the air to scare them off, then he got into his van and drove off.