Accused denies being an accomplice in Valentine's Day murder

A man accused of being an accomplice in the Valentine's Day murder of a woman six years ago has denied involvement, saying he had turned down a request to kill her for €23,000.

It is alleged that Carmel Vella, 33, of San Ġwann, and another man lured Patricia Attard to L-Aħrax in Mellieħa in 2004 so that they could push her off a cliff.

The plan fell through when the woman refused to go near the edge. However, she was found shot dead in her mini-van at Ta' Qali two months later, on Valentine's Day, 2004.

The other man, Josef Grech, stands accused of the murder and is currently undergoing separate criminal proceedings. He is pleading not guilty.

During the compilation of evidence in Mr Vella's case, Police Inspector Anġlu Farrugia had said Mr Vella told the inquiring magistrate that Mr Grech, a 40-year-old from Balzan, had mentioned shooting Ms Attard but then suggested pushing her off a building instead.

However, the two feared they would be caught so Mr Vella proposed L-Aħrax in Mellieħa or Dingli cliffs as two other possibilities.

Mr Vella told the inquiring magistrate that the two men planned to lure Ms Attard to the cliffs by telling her that illegal immigrants had arrived. Mr Grech would push her off when she approached the edge to have a look.

Mr Vella also told the magistrate that Mr Grech proceeded with the plan but he (Mr Vella) waited in his car in St Paul's Bay. After some time Mr Grech told him that the plan had fallen through as Ms Attard had not moved towards the edge.

In yesterday's trial, Police Inspector Chris Pullicino said the police had been aware of threats against Ms Attard's life. After they found her body in Ta' Qali, they called her husband, Ritchie Attard, and spoke to him. The inspector said he had information that her husband wanted to kill her because they had undergone messy separation proceedings.

Mr Attard is also standing trial over the murder.

Testifying, Assistant Police Commissioner Pierre Calleja said that in a statement to the police, Mr Vella had admitted to being offered the money but not to accepting it.

Taking the witness stand, Mr Vella said he had known Mr Grech for quite a long time but did not know the victim, Patricia, or her husband.

One day when he was at the San Ġwann boċċi club, Mr Grech approached him and asked if he was interested in some work which paid €23,000. Mr Grech told him it was to kill a woman.

Mr Vella said his immediate reaction was to ask him if he was crazy and tell him that he wouldn't do it for €1 million. Mr Grech spoke to him again two weeks before Christmas and he insisted that they kill her because he had money problems.

The accused said he was avoiding persistent phone telephone calls from Mr Grech until the latter managed to speak to him and ask him to accompany him to a sprayer, where some work was being done on his car.

Mr Grech picked him up, drove to St Paul's Bay and asked him to wait there. He then got into a white van and left, according to Mr Vella.

Half an hour later, Mr Grech called him and asked him to drive up to L-Aħrax and wait near the red tower.

Sometime later he asked him to drive further in towards the cliffs, however, when he got there, Mr Grech informed him that he was now back in St Paul's Bay.

He asked him what had happened and Mr Grech told him that Mrs Attard did not want to go near the edge of the cliff. Mr Vella said his response was to ask him if he was crazy.

Following this incident, the two men never spoke to each other again, Mr Vella said.

He added that during the course of the investigations, he was threatened by Mr Grech who made a sign with his hand in the shape of a gun.

Under cross-examination, Mr Vella was asked why, if he had been avoiding Mr Grech's phone calls, had he agreed to meet him. Did he not think that Mr Grech would discuss his intentions to murder Ms Attard?

Mr Vella said he didn't think that Mr Grech would bring up the subject. The trial is expected to end today.

Lawyer Lara Lanfranco from the Attorney Generals' Office prosecuted.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto appeared for Mr Vella.