An accomplice in the murder of an elderly couple yesterday told jurors that, together with Brian Vella, they followed the couple into their Santa Lucija apartment, bound and gagged them and then ransacked their home.

Dominic Bonnici took the witness stand in the trial by jury against Mr Vella.

Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono is presiding over the trial, the third one Mr Vella is facing on the same charges after the first two were dissolved.

Mr Vella is pleading not guilty to the murder of 79-year-old Gerald Grima and his 63-year-old wife Josephine on February 10, 2000.

Mr Bonnici had been jailed for 30 years after he confessed to his involvement in the double murder.

Mr Bonnici testified that on the day of the incident he had been drinking with Mr Vella and a certain Robert Borg. They spent most of the day at the Santa Lucija Nationalist Party club.

"At about 8 p.m. Brian Vella told me he had a quick job that would yield us Lm20,000. He asked me if I wanted to join... So I decided to go with Brian not knowing what the job involved," he said.

He explained how he and Mr Vella got into his (Mr Bonnici's) car and they drove to the apartment block where Mr Vella lived.

Mr Vella told him there was a man who lived in his block who walked his dog regularly on the roof. The plan was to follow the man as he was returning to his apartment and force their entry behind him.

They went on the roof to wait for the man to walk the dog but it started drizzling and so they decided to go back downstairs. "But as soon as we opened the door...we saw that the couple had just arrived home by car."

Mr Bonnici explained how the victim stopped his wife near the apartment block so she would not get wet.

They hid in the stairwell and, when Mr Grima followed his wife into the apartment, they pounced on them. Mr Bonnici grabbed hold of Mr Grima and Mr Vella held the woman.

"When I grabbed the man we both fell to the ground. Brian Vella tied up the woman and then handed me the tape to tie the man up," he said.

They then searched the apartment during which time they smoked.

"I think they were still alive when we left...I don't think they could breath well given the way we bound them," he testified.

Under cross examination, Mr Bonnici insisted he was telling the truth and that Mr Vella was with him. He explained how they sold the stolen items for a total of about Lm200.

Another witness, Vincent Spiteri, said he had known Mr Bonnici for many years but only met Mr Vella at the PN club on February 10, 2000, and never spoke to him.

He said that two years ago he was in hospital visiting his brother and met Mr Bonnici there. Mr Bonnici told him he was worried and this was because he was pointing his finger at an innocent man. He said that Mr Vella was not involved in the crime but there was another man, a dangerous man, whose identity he did not want to disclose.

Mr Spiteri said he had promised Mr Bonnici he would not tell anyone about this but yesterday Mr Spiteri said the time had come to break that promise as there was an innocent man's life at stake.

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 defence counsel.