Updated - Accused's DNA found on victim's hands, car
DNA from Nizar Mustafa Al-Gadi was found under the fingernails of his former partner Margaret Mifsud on the night that she was killed, a court was told today.
The details were given as the court continued to hear the compilation of evidence against Al-gadi, who stands accused with the murder of Dr Mifsud, the mother of his two daughters, on April 18.
She was found dead in her car in Bahar ic-Caghaq.
Police Inspector Keith Arnaud said the DNA of the accused was found on both hands of the victim, even though the accused denied having met or followed Dr Mifsud on the night. Forensic tests of Dr Mifsud’s car also revealed DNA of the accused on the back seat and on tissue paper. The tissue paper also had lipstick and blood of the victim on it. The accused could not explain the presence of his dna on the tissue.
The inspector said that in repeated questioning, the accused had denied following his former partner, despite phone tracking showing otherwise. In a statement in late May he claimed he was near Fenech Service Station in St Paul’s Bay while Dr Mifsud dined in a restaurant in Xemxija. However CCTV at the petrol station did not corroborate his claim.
He claimed to have been in the company of a Russian woman but could not supply any details about her.
He also claimed not to have carried the phone which had been tracked at Xemxija.
The accused is believed to have walked from Bahar ic-Caghaq to his car in Qawra after the crime.
At the end of the hearing, Magistrate Saviour Demicoli ruled that there was enough evidence to place the accused under a bill of indictment.
Earlier, lawyer Martin Testaferrata Moroni Viani argued that the evidence was cicumstancial and not enough for a trial.
Lawyer Kathleen Grima, appearing for the victim's family, said that caselaw showed that for the accused to be placed under a bill of indictment evidence had to be up to the grade of possibility.
Inspactor Arnaud said that the evidence was more than enough for the case to go to trial.
14 Comments
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X Borg
Aug 13th 2012, 23:55
What I cant understand is why it took over 3 months to get DNA results.
Toni Borg
Aug 13th 2012, 20:01
To me this is an open and shut case.
Let's hope justice is done
Pule' Carmel
Aug 13th 2012, 15:37
My experience is that it is very difficult for one person to be born in one particular culture to change and to accept another human culture!
It took British people over one hundred years to accept that the door to enter a bus could move from the rear of a bus to the front of a bus near the driver!
The other day I saw a film depicting the swimming suits in Europe for men and ladies during the last one hundred years. Men could not swim without a vest and women had to swim with their socks and skirts on. To uncover our bodies as we do on the beach took thousands of years, to accept our body as it is in the raw. May others still do not accept to uncover their bodies as european do!
In modern days where some men still accept the fact that a woman has to cover herself from head to toe, I cannot by any amount of imagination conclude that he could ever accept a woman that abides by modern belief in equal rights. If our mentally takes more than a hundred years to accept a change of a bus door and a change of total cover swimsuit, I am afraid that the change of other values can take many hundreds of years.
There are many proverbs in any country to confirm this, but I shall leave it to the imagination of the readers to think of one.
I cannot but pity those people who come tho Malta thinking that they can go thoigh te Maltese customs carrying drugs, as in their primitive mentality , they just cannot magine the power of technology in recognising what is in bafs and luggage and out position through the working what cell transmitter took care of our phone calls.
Please look up sites as
Flight Radar
Marine Traffic.com
A man with a modern culture must accept the fact that his position can be traced to the nearest metre. Just because no one is around, it does not mean that no one is watching you! This may be impossible to understand by those who lived in a dessert! New cultures do not permit us to be as free as we think and it is no use refusing it . People will simply laugh at you if you say otherwise and it is much better to keep your mouth closed and let people think that you are a fool rather than opening it and admiting it through what you say! With DNA tests, not man and woman are free to sire undetected and with GPS and other mobile cell phones, our presence is detected wherever we go. I still wonder if it is a good or a bad issue, but as far as I am concerned, Ihave nothing to hide and anybody is welcome to know my presence, to tap my phone, or to read these comments I publish on the Times and I feel that through these comments my character is well known and I do not mind as I have absolutely nothing to hide. So all technology is welcomed, and that is why I love engineering. With radio telescopes we can see what occured a billion years ago and with elelctron microscopes we can see almost down to the atom size, nothing is private these days not even an atom, well let us say a molecule!
Mr Tony Gatt
Aug 13th 2012, 21:01
We have a problem in the U.K. with people bringing their customs with them and refusing to bow to U.K. practice. The latest is the so-called "honour" killing of a young girl who was to Westernised according to her parents and brought shame on the family- to their perceived Pakistani customs.
mario salnitro
Aug 13th 2012, 14:22
Great investigation work by a young and brilliant lad well done.
Lawrence Fenech
Aug 13th 2012, 13:49
It's about time that proper investigations are carried out to solve pending cases. Good job on this one.
C Muscat
Aug 13th 2012, 13:30
Let us hope that the courts complement the good work of the police.
Unfortunately in my case, this has not happened yet.
S.M. Cuschieri
Aug 13th 2012, 13:03
Well done Inspector Keith Arnaud!! Brilliant work :D!!! And HALLELUJAH!!!! justice finally!!! I pray for this woman who suffered such domestic violence and also for the closure of her family and children. It shows that it is not only women of a low social background who are victims of abuse. Even intelligent and academic women suffer. I appeal to any woman undergoing physical and yes, even emotional/verbal abuse to get out while they can......
GL Calleja
Aug 13th 2012, 14:17
I agree with what you are saying. Like in any other country domestic violence is a common occurrence in Malta. The only difference is that women think that there is no way out because of religion and other silly myths. First off all no spouse or pardner has any right to abuse you and that pertains to men and or women. There is help out there. Congratulations to Inspector Keith Arnaud for his thorough investigation.
Victor Gelfo
Aug 13th 2012, 12:42
Well done and thumbs up to Mr Keith Arnaud. The way he handed this investigation, matches well with the great FBI and Scotland Yard detectives.
Such people, apart from greater respect needs to be payed well, like other professionals. People like Mr Arnaud risk their lives and even that of their family to track down such ruthless criminals.
Kurt Magro
Aug 13th 2012, 12:14
Great Police Investigation... Well done again and Thank You !
John Azzopoardi
Aug 13th 2012, 12:08
I have said this before. People just don't die. Malta needs a very robust criminal investigative team to solve the crimes that occuring in Malta. WE have enough money to do this. So why hasn't this happened yet. And we are part of the EU as well.
Amante Reale
Aug 13th 2012, 12:17
What do you mean, people don't just die?
People die all the time.
Deo Catania
Aug 13th 2012, 14:02
Amante, how many people just died in a car isolated in Bahar ic-Caghaq at night without any reason at all?
Please choose the reason of your report below: