The double-murder trial of Brian Vella, who is charged with killing an elderly couple, yesterday started being heard for a third time after it had been dissolved on two previous occasions.

Jurors started hearing evidence in the case against Mr Vella who is pleading not guilty to the murder of 79-year-old Gerald Grima and his 63-year-old wife Josephine who were bound and killed in their Sta Lucija home on February 10, 2000.

Mr Vella's trial was originally scheduled to be heard in 2004 but the proceedings were dissolved on February 4, 2004, after the evidence of a co-accused, Dominic Bonnici, was deemed inadmissible at that stage.

The trial was then appointed to January 10, 2006 but it was dissolved the following day for a second time when the Police Commissioner's evidence was deemed prejudicial by the court.

A legal battle ensued in which Mr Vella filed a constitutional application claiming that his right to a fair hearing had been breached. But in May this year, the First Hall of the Civil Court dismissed his application and cleared the way for this trial to start.

Police Commissioner John Rizzo was the first witness to give evidence yesterday after he was directed by the court to stick to the facts of this case against Mr Vella without mentioning anything that took place before or after the case.

Mr Rizzo explained that on February 17, 2000, he was informed that an elderly couple who lived in Sta Lucija had not left their apartment for several days and there was a stench coming from their home.

When he went on the scene he saw the couple dead and in an advanced state of decomposition. There were signs of violence on their bodies and they were bound by the wrists. Mrs Grima also had a rag in her mouth.

The couple were dressed smartly, indicating they were dressed to go out, and still had jewellery on them. Mrs Grima had earrings and a ring while Mr Grima was wearing a watch that had stopped on February 10, 2000 at 12.35. He was holding his car keys in his hands. Mr Rizzo added that the apartment was in a mess and there were blood stains in several rooms. Police found cigarette butts on the floor which they lifted as evidence. There was also a dog that was still alive and a dead budgerigar in a cage.

As police tried to determine the time of death they found a calendar that marked February 9 and a milk carton in the fridge expired on February 12. It also resulted that Mr Grima had shown up in footage of the feast of St Paul held in Valletta on February 10 that was aired on Net television.

He was wearing the same outfit he was found dead in. This established that the couple were still alive until February 10 at about 4 p.m.

Mr Rizzo went on to explain that the police then received confidential information about who might have been involved. According to the information, the crime started from the Sta Lucija Nationalist Party Club and the accused was involved.

The police questioned Mr Vella who categorically denied his involvement in the double murder. However, Mr Rizzo added, he gave police about five different versions of events. For example, he initially said he never went into the PN club but later said he did.

Mr Rizzo said Mr Vella kept insisting that he had nothing to do with the murder even when he was told that Mr (Dominic) Bonnici released a statement in which he said Mr Vella was involved.

Police Superintendent Pierre Calleja said that Mr Vella insisted on his innocence even when confronted with forensic evidence, that is a DNA match placing him at the scene of the crime. He insisted that he never entered the Grimas' house.

Inspector John Charles Ellul was appointed scene of the crime officer to preserve and seal any relevant evidence.

He walked jurors through several photographs of the scene that showed the way the Grimas had been bound at the hands and feet and also gagged with tape.

The trial continues this morning.

The Attorney General's head of the prosecution team, Anthony Barbara, is prosecuting.

Lawyers Kris Busietta and Anglu Farrugia are representing Mr Vella.