A man charged with the murder of his former girlfriend in Żebbiegħ last Saturday had reported her to the police accusing her of slapping him in front of an officer, a magistrate was told yesterday.
Police Inspector Chris Pullicino said the victim, Christina Sammut, and the accused, Kenneth Gafà, 38, of Marsa, had both filed police reports against each other over the past weeks.
Testifying before Magistrate Anthony Vella, the officer said when he went to the murder scene in Sir Temi Żammit, Mġarr, he found Mrs Sammut in a small van with gunshot wounds in her neck.
Two spent cartridges were found, one inside the victim’s van and the other on the road, he said.
While still on site, he was informed Mrs Sammut had died from her wounds in hospital and also that Mr Gafà had turned himself in at the Ħamrun police station. “He said he was responsible for what had happened in Mġarr,” Mr Pullicino said.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the accused and Mrs Sammut, a widow with a 15-year-old daughter, had dated for just over a year and, when it was over, she kicked him out of the apartment they shared. The relationship was a troubled one towards the end and both had filed police reports against each other in the weeks before the murder, the witness said.
The accused had claimed she hit him in front of a police officer while she accused Mr Gafà of pushing her. The two had also appeared in a number of district court hearings.
The officer said he could not give specific details about the case because he did not have time to prepare himself, having only been informed of yesterday’s sitting a day before.
He produced an audio tape and a written statement by Mr Gafà. The police had started recording the interrogation on Saturday evening but they had to stop because of a technical hitch and, instead, took Mr Gafà’s statement in writing. On Sunday, the recorder was repaired and a full statement was taken on tape.
“It was very clear from his statement he was the one who fired the shots,” Mr Pullicino said.
Mr Gafà, a bus driver and a jockey, is also charged with harassing Mrs Sammut and her sister-in-law, Susan. “She was very close to the victim and was also harassed by Mr Gafà,” the witness said.
He pointed out the accused had always refused to reveal where the murder weapon had ended up and, in fact, the police were still looking for it.
Mr Gafà is also charged with the illegal possession of a firearm, firing it in an inhabited area and relapsing. The case was put off to January with Mr Gafà being held in preventive custody.
Police inspectors Daniel Zammit and Edmund Cuschieri prosecuted together with Mr Pullicino.
Lawyers Emanuel Mallia and Arthur Azzopardi appeared parte civile for the family.
Lawyers Steve Tonna Lowell, Gianluca Caruana Curran, Gianella Caruana Curran and Joseph Giglio appeared for the accused.