Updated Wednesday afternoon
A key witness wanted in a trial by jury over a police shootout was traced this morning - after the court issued an arrest warrant when she did not turn up.
Yanika Abdilla had failed to turn up to give evidence in the trial of Mario Vella, who stands accused of having been an accomplice in a shootout with the police in Qormi six years ago.
Ms Abdilla was present in the house from where the shooting took place, along with Vella, Kelly Micallef, who has since died of a drug overdose and her former boyfriend Marco Pace, the man who is alleged to have actually shot at the police.
The court was told this morning that various efforts by the police to contact Ms Abdilla had failed.
She is now expected to give evidence in the afternoon, but may well opt not to give details so as not to incriminate herself.
The jurors yesterday and this morning continued to hear evidence by policemen on the scene in Mill Street when the shooting took place on February 15, 2005.
A police officer yesterday told of his panic when he thought he had been hit during the gun fight.
“I turned to my colleague and said: did he hit me?” Police Constable Noel Massa testified.
He said that he was with his colleague Police Sergeant Ivan Mifsud directly below the shooter when they heard a gun being cocked and saw a flash.The bullet must have hit the wall right next to them because the shot sent bits of stone flying onto PC Massa who, at that point, feared he had been hit.
PC Massa said he and his colleague were taking cover between a Transit van and the wall of the fly-over bridge leading to Mrieħel, looking up at the roof of the building, when that shot was fired.
Under cross-examination by lawyer Edward Gatt, the officer said he could not see who fired.
Nobody took photos of the debris that fell on him, he said in answer to questions, although he did alert Police Inspector Jeffrey Cilia to the fact.
Also testifying, Police Major George Farrugia said that during the gun fight he decided to get a better view of the building from the fly-over. He could recall three people running on the roof when one of them, who he thought was a man, pointed at him and he ducked behind the guard rail. He moved to see what was happening and he heard a gun-shot and could smell gun-powder.
He said that from the sound it made he understood the gun to be a small weapon. Later on in the trial, jurors were shown pictures of the crime scene and are expected to visit the area sometime this week.