Accused 'would not' assault a woman

A man charged with complicity in the murder of Patricia Attard, who was shot dead in a mini van in Ta' Qali earlier this year, had suggested pushing her off a high building as an alternative to shooting her because he did not want to have anything to do with firearms, a court heard yesterday.

Magistrate Saviour Demicoli heard Inspector Anglu Caruana explain how, during the magisterial inquiry into the case, Carmel Vella told the inquiring magistrate that Josef Grech had mentioned shooting Attard but he suggested pushing her off a building in San Gwann.

However, the two feared they would be caught so Vella suggested a place in Mellieha, known as L-Ahrax, or Dingli cliffs.

The officer was testifying in the compilation of evidence against Vella, known as il-Gagu, who is pleading not guilty to complicity in the murder of Attard on February 14, committing a crime during the operative time of a suspended jail term and relapsing.

The inspector explained how police learned that Vella had been approached by Grech, a 32-year-old man from Balzan who is undergoing separate proceedings for Attard's murder, to kill a woman for Lm10,000. Vella told the police how he eventually learned that the woman was Attard and her husband was to pay them.

The witness explained how Vella told the inquiring magistrate that after Grech explored the Mellieha cliffs the two men planned that they would lure Attard onto the cliffs by telling her that illegal immigrants had arrived, then Grech would push her off once she approached the edge to have a look. Vella was to park his car in the vicinity and give Grech a lift back.

Vella told the magistrate that Grech and he proceeded with the plan and he waited in his car. After some time he saw Grech leave in his van and eventually Grech told him that the plan fell through as Attard had not moved towards the edge.

Grech told Vella he was scared to assault her since she was a woman and he feared he would not have the guts to push her, the inspector said.

At the end of yesterday's sitting Magistrate Demicoli ruled there were enough reasons for Vella's indictment.

The case continues.