A man cried in court yesterday as a policeman described his emotional state when admitting to the murders of convicted drug trafficker Mario Camilleri and his son.

Jason Galea broke down when Police Sergeant Jeffery Gerada was recounting in court that the accused had opened up to him about the problems and desperation he had experienced at the hands of the Camilleris.

Mr Galea told him he was blackmailed by his brother-in-law Mr Camilleri and his 21-year-old nephew, Mario, who threatened to show his wife a photo of him with a woman in a nightclub.

He said he had been sidelined in a cleaning company they co-owned. He was therefore not in a position to make any money, leading to a very stressful situation.

Mr Galea also told the police that he had been forced to make regular payments to Mr Camilleri and gave his son €500 a month.

He told the officer interrogating him that the threats made by the Camilleris caused to his wife to miscarry their child.

The Camilleris were killed on July 17, minutes apart, with Mr Camilleri Sr, known as l-Imnieħru, meeting his end in Marsaxlokk and his son, who was stabbed 34 times, shortly after. They were buried in a field in Qajjenza, Birżebbuġa.

Mr Gerada said the details of what happened on the day emerged from a statement that George Galea, who also stands charged with the murders, gave to the police.

George Galea said he was told by his co-accused to wait on Marsaxlokk Road, which leads to the fishing hamlet. His co-accused arrived in a Peugeot Partner van with Mr Camilleri Sr sitting on the passenger seat. He got into the back and they drove to Marsaxlokk to an area known as Tas-Silġ.

There, Jason Galea told Mr Camilleri there was a notary who could help him in the release of funds that had been seized.

They drove to a villa and Jason Galea alighted. George Galea remained in the car with Mr Camilleri, who said that if Jason Galea messed up he would shoot him.

When Jason Galea returned he was on the phone and asked Mr Camilleri to speak to a female employee on the other end of the line but the victim refused.

They placed his body in a wheelbarrow

Jason Galea shot Mr Camilleri twice in the head, George Galea told the police. They panicked as blood went everywhere. They lowered the seat so Mr Camilleri would not be seen and then drove to a field to bury him in a shallow grave.

A short time later, a man, Leli, known by his nickname, id-Deffien, appeared near the field though he was still some distance away from where they were. Leli was accompanied by Mr Camilleri Jnr.

George Galea said his co-accused called Mario Camilleri Jnr over and grabbed him by the throat, hitting him savagely.

The young man tried to kick him but Jason Galea picked up a tile that was on the ground and began beating him with it.

George Galea told the police his co-accused ordered him to fetch a gun from a small room in the field but he refused. It was then that Jason Galea stabbed Mr Camilleri Jnr and then shot him.

They placed his body in a wheelbarrow but decided it would be easier to carry the body in the car and bury him alongside his father.

At the end of the sitting, lawyers Joe Giglio and Gianluca Caruana Curran complained that because two important witnesses had not been summoned to testify they were unable to request bail.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona ordered the police to produce at least one of the two witnesses as the other was very sick and receiving treatment in hospital.

Lawyers Steve Tonna Lowell, Shazoo Ghaznavi and Robert Galea also appeared for the accused.