Defence discredits witness over confession claim

A witness, who claimed that a murder suspect had confessed to killing a bank messenger during a hold-up, was yesterday caught out by the defence team, who exposed his different versions of events.

Justin Fenech, of Qormi, who was 17 years old at the time of the murder of 42-year-old bank messenger Alphonse Ferriggi in 2000, said that the accused, Richard Grech, 44, of Qormi, known as Iz-Zinanna, had confessed to him about the murder.

He then said that, following the confession, he stopped meeting him, because he was not the type of person to commit crimes, as Mr Grech had done.

During cross examination, however, lawyer Mark Vassallo asked him if it was true that he had since carried out a hold-up himself. He answered yes, but shrugged it off as “child’s play” and said that he didn’t actually do anything.

Mr Ferriggi was killed by a single shot to the head in San Ġwann as he was delivering bank mail which the robbers thought was cash.

From CCTV footage, which did not reveal his assailants’ identity, he could be seen stopping in front of the bank driving a white Peugeot station wagon and then opening the luggage boot. A black Golf is seen pulling up alongside the car and within three seconds Mr Ferriggi is lying on the floor. The light emitted from the gun blast was not captured.

On further questioning of Mr Fenech, the lawyer pointed out that in 2003 he told a court that the accused had bragged about carrying out a job that would make a lot of money, while they were in a bar in San Ġwann. The witness added that they were both drunk at the time and that he didn’t believe him.

However during yesterday’s sitting he told the court that he was not drunk and in fact he had been the DJ at the bar. He asked him why he now denied that he was drunk and he replied that he was not drunk and that was the correct version.

The witness went on to say that the accused had in fact confessed to him the day after the murder, in front of a primary school in Qormi. The confession was made after another man, whom he did not know, started bragging that he was the one who carried out the hold-up.

At that point, the accused allegedly told him that he was the person who had carried it out and that the man didn’t have any idea of what he was talking about.

Dr Vassallo then asked sarcastically whether the accused had confessed not only to him but to a whole group of people outside the school, and the witness said, “yes”.

The case continues. Lawyer Chris Cardona also appeared for the accused.