Court hears experts on gunshot residue

Gunshot residue found on a Cospicua man standing trial for attempted murder indicated that there was a high probability he had fired a gun, jurors heard yesterday.

Court experts Mario Mifsud and Charles Muscat explained they had been appointed by the court to carry out gunshot residue (GSR) tests on Emanuel Zammit.

"Results showed that there was a high probability that Zammit had fired a gun... The results are based on the amount of particles found on the accused and the way in which they were distributed over his body," they said.

They testified before Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia in the trial by jury of Zammit, 65, of Cospicua who is pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of Michael Angelo Fenech, also known as Il-Kelly, in Madliena and holding him against his will on February 23, 1998.

He is also pleading not guilty to stealing court exhibits, including a sub-machine gun, from the strong room at the law courts on the night between September 18-19, 1993.

Zammit is also pleading not guilty to keeping and carrying a firearm and ammunition without a licence and at the time of the commission of the crime, failing to pay tax and duty on the sub-machine gun and firing it in a residential area.

The experts, who gave a detailed description of the process used in GSR testing, added that GSR could also be found on someone who was close to a person who fired a gun or on someone who handled a gun that had just been fired.

The prosecution is claiming that on the day of the incident Zammit, who was sent to kill Fenech by a third party, waited outside Fenech's Madliena house armed with a sub-machine gun and a pistol.

But when Fenech arrived home and walked towards the main door, his keys fell out of his pocket and when he bent to pick them up he heard a gun shot and turned round to see Zammit pointing a gun at him.

Zammit tried to fire the gun a second time but did not manage so he escaped towards Bahar ic-Caghaq on a bicycle, the prosecution is claiming.

Seniour counsel to the Republic Dr Mark Said is prosecuting.

Dr Giannella Caruana Curran and Dr Emanuel Mallia are appearing for Zammit while Dr José Herrera and Dr Joseph Giglio are appearing in parte civile.

The trial continues this morning.