'Men in carnival masks beat my aunt'

A Gozitan standing trial for the alleged murder of his aunt yesterday told jurors he had gone to rob her with another two men but refused to reveal their identity. They beat his aunt to death, he said.

Ivan Cauchi said he had accepted to go with the two men to rob his aunt, Elizabeth Cauchi, on a carnival night three years ago.

He explained how, as he stood in the doorway, he saw the two men - wearing a crocodile and monkey mask - rummage through his aunt's house and saw them hold her down and beat her.

Throughout his whole testimony, Mr Cauchi referred to the men as "the one of the monkey" and "the one of the crocodile" and was adamant that he would not reveal their identity.

Mr Cauchi, 25, of Xewkija took the witness stand before Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono in his trial where he is pleading not guilty to the murder of his aunt on February 24, 2004.

In an eight-hour testimony, Mr Cauchi told jurors that one day he was in the garage when two people walked in and said they wanted to rob his aunt.

When asked who these people were he said they were two thieves but he could not say who they were.

The judge told him he had to say who they were once he had chosen to testify. The jurors were then asked to leave the court room as the defence and the prosecution debated a legal point.

The judge then cautioned Mr Cauchi that he was to say the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He also told him that he should look out for his own interests at this point and not be afraid of anything or anyone. This was one of a series of occasions in which the judge yesterday reminded Mr Cauchi that he was to say the truth.

When the jurors were called back in the judge asked Mr Cauchi who the two people were and he replied: "I can't say who they are."

Mr Cauchi went on to explain that, when the two people suggested robbing his aunt, he said he would think about it. A week later they went back to his garage and the three of them agreed to rob her on carnival Tuesday.

That day they went to Il-Bahri, a garage that opens only during carnival, where he met the two men. Some time later the two men left Il-Bahri and he joined them about 20 minutes later.

Mr Cauchi said they met near his aunt's house. There the two men, who were dressed in black, wore masks. One wore a monkey mask and the other a crocodile mask.

Mr Cauchi said they then saw his aunt walk home. When she opened the door, the one with the crocodile mask pushed her inside the house and the one with the monkey mask followed. He went in after them.

He put on the light. One of the men gagged his aunt's mouth with his hand. The two men hit her and lay her down on the floor. One placed a red cushion under her head, then tied her with a belt while she struggled, he said.

The one with the crocodile mask went upstairs from where Mr Cauchi heard rummaging. Meanwhile the one with the monkey mask rummaged downstairs and kept an eye on his aunt.

Mr Cauchi said he remained standing in the doorway from where he could see what was going on. He heard his aunt tell the masked men that she recognised them.

He went on to explain that the man in the crocodile mask went back downstairs with two bags and the other man filled two bags then they left. He did not know what the bags contained.

He also said that the man with the crocodile mask beat his aunt while the other held her down. At some point one of the two men untied her wrists.

When they left the house, Mr Cauchi said he took his aunt's house keys from the door and threw them in a nearby field. He then went back to Il-Bahri till about 1 a.m.

The next day he was at work when he was told that his aunt had been found dead. At first he thought she was not dead and he said he was not given anything after the robbery.

Mr Cauchi's defence counsel, Joseph Mifsud, then read out three statements his client had released to police. Mr Cauchi remembered saying parts but not others and also noted that there were instances when he lied to the police.

In one statement, he had identified two particular people as the men in the masks. In another statement he said he had lied in the first statement and identified another two men one of whom was his cousin Gianni. He said he had mentioned the previous two people because he was afraid of his cousin Gianni.

Yesterday he said that the two people who accompanied him to his aunt were none of the four people he mentioned in the statements. He said he could not explain why he blamed others, including his cousin.

He said he lied when, after being questioned by the police, he told an inspector and later his father that he had killed his aunt. He did not remember why he lied but said his brain was not functioning at the time.

Towards the end of the sitting he said that he too rummaged around for about half an hour for money. After the robbery he felt sorry "because they killed her".

The marathon testimony was paused yesterday at about 6.30 p.m. by which time some of the jurors were looking exhausted. Assistant Attorney General AnthonyBarbara is prosecuting.