Accused gives blow by blow account of Selmun murder

A Syrian was killed with his own mallet after an argument and an exchange of insults with another man over money, a court heard yesterday.

Evidence yesterday started being compiled against 25-year-old Ebrahem Alhamow, who stands charged with the murder of Ismail Ebdou. The latter was found dead in his van at the bottom of a hillside in Selmun at the end of last month.

Homicide squad inspector Christopher Pullicino testified that the accused had described how he hit the victim on his head with a mallet. The information tallied with what the police had found on the scene of the crime, the inspector said.

He said the police managed to find the suspect after Carmela Buhagiar, the victim's partner, phoned them to report that Ebdou was missing and was asked to go to police headquarters.

There she told the police that they had been together on the night before the murder when someone called at about 9 p.m. and insisted that Ebdou meet him to be shown some plastering jobs he could carry out. Initially, he refused to go but changed his mind so as not to lose any work. He did not return.

Investigations led the police to Mr Alhamow, who was found alone in a coffee shop.

When interrogated, he said he had met the victim near the roundabout leading to the university and there he asked him to lend him Lm200. The victim had already lent him Lm500 on another occasion.

Insp. Pullicino said the accused told the police that the victim insulted him and a quarrel ensued. Alhamow went to fetch a car from his cousin and they both drove up to Selmun, one parking behind the other.

The accused pushed the victim, who fell to the ground. According to Alhamow's account, he fetched a mallet from the victim's own van and stared hitting him on the head with it.

He then dragged him and put him in the van, where he continued beating him on the head with the mallet. He threw the mallet inside, disengaged the gears, released the handbrake and pushed the van down a hillside.

He then climbed down to the van to look for the mallet but failed to find it. Insp. Pullicino said the mallet was discovered by the police near the van the following morning after it probably fell out as the vehicle rolled down the hill.

The accused told the police he threw the Sim card from the mobile phone he had used to call the victim and the victim's own Sim card and battery over the Regional Road bridge. They did not turn up in a search, Insp. Pullicino said.

The accused also threw away a blood-stained top he was wearing and the police later found it at Tal-Barrani Road.

Alhamow also told the police he washed his car with sea water at Birzebbuga to remove splashes of the victim's blood. From the flat where he was living, the police also retrieved a T-shirt and a pair of shorts which had been washed to remove blood stains.

Analysis of mobile phone records showed that the accused had spent almost six minutes on the phone with Ebdou at about 9 p.m. on July 30. The victim was found dead on the following day by two German tourists who were on the way to the beach. The autopsy revealed he had died of a fractured skull and haemorrhage.

District police who went on site immediately suspected foul play when they saw drops of blood and drag marks on the ground. The police found who the victim was after checking he car's registration plate. The name matched a business card found in the van, and they started to compile information about who he was and his last movements.

It resulted that the victim had married Lucy Cassar but their marriage only lasted a month when she found out he was married and had children in Syria without her knowledge.

Inspector Tony Agius and Police Sergeant Manwel Saliba, who were present when the accused released his statement, said he was calm, did not appear to be afraid and was uninhibited when he described what had taken place.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima said there appeared to be enough reasons to indict the accused. The case continues.

Dr Joe Giglio appeared for the accused.