It what sounded more like a script from an action-packed Hollywood movie, jurors heard yesterday how the police were shot at by a man armed with a machine-gun and high on cocaine during a six-hour stand-off at his Qormi house.

Taking the witness stand, Police Inspector Jeffrey Cilia recounted how Marco Pace, also known as Il-Pinzell, refused to come out of his house after he barricaded himself inside with his friend Mario Vella, also known as In-Nanak.

The officer was testifying in the first session of the trial against Mr Vella who stands accused of complicity in the attempted murder of Police Sergeant George Farrugia, inciting another person to try to kill the officer, and disobeying, threatening and assaulting police orders in Qormi on February 15, 2005.

Mr Pace has been charged with trying to kill a policeman in the same incident and is awaiting trial.

Two women, Yanika Abdilla, the girlfriend of Mr Pace, and Kelly Micallef who lived with them, were also in the house during the incident, the inspector said.

Ms Micallef was found dead in her house last January after suffering a drug overdose.

The incident was sparked off when Mr Pace’s mother, Giovanna, who was 53 years old at the time, told the police she believed her son had fired a shot at her front door following an argument.

The two had got into an argument after she refused to allow her son to let his friend, Chris Mattizelli, park his boat in their garage. Minutes later she heard the glass of the door shatter and she called the police, warning them that her son was a very dangerous person.

In a series of recorded phone calls between Mr Pace and Mr Vella and the inspector, played to the court yesterday, both men are heard threatening to kill the officer and hurling extremely vulgar expletives at him. Mr Pace also threatened to shoot at gas cylinders and blow the whole building up. The first shot was fired at 9.20 p.m. and several more shots were heard being fired inside, some directed at officers stationed at the back of the house.

Then, at about 1 a.m. it was decided that members of the special assignment group (SAG) would storm the house. More tear gas was fired in from the front and back and SAG officers went in and arrested the people inside, the inspector testified.

The trial continues. Lawyers Anġlu Farrugia and Edward Gatt appeared for Mr Vella.

Long criminal record

Marco Pace is well known to the police. In June 1991, he was imprisoned for 18 months after being found guilty of attempted theft, threats and assault on police officers.

The following month he was handed a 14-month jail term together with Victor Magri for again threatening and assaulting police.

Mr Magri, known as Iċ-Ċinku, was shot dead in Ta’ Qali in December, 2004 and Mr Pace is awaiting trial for his murder.

In June 1992, Mr Pace was conditionally discharged after facing drug-related charges. In May 1997 he was charged with committing a hold-up, together with Johan Micallef, at the Qormi Bank of Valletta branch.

In his testimony in court, Police Commissioner John Rizzo, then head of the Criminal Investigation Department branch, had said it had only taken the thieves a little over a minute to hold up staff and clients and make off with €46,600.

In December 2000, he was handed down a four-year jail term after being found guilty of a hold-up on a lotto receiver in Qormi. In July 2002, he was fined €1,400 for possession of cannabis and relapsing.

Last April, Mr Pace’s aunt, Tania Calleja, 40, was charged with depositing a chicken with prison guards to be handed over to her nephew in January, 2006.

But 10 to 15 minutes after she left jail, the guards became suspicious and decided to check if there was anything illegal inside the chicken. Under the chicken’s wings, the police found two sachets of heroin.