A man who was jailed for life for killing a warden in Gozo has claimed a breach of human rights because he had no access to a lawyer during investigations.

Ġanni Attard, 64, known as Il-Muha, filed the Constitutional application today, asking for the court to declare that his trial was unfair as he had no access to a lawyer during the police investigations.

Defence lawyer Jose' Herrera cited three Constitutional Court judgments where the court had declared a breach of rights when suspects were not given access to a lawyer.

Dr Herrera also argued that two laws governing witnesses and evidence exhibited in court were contradictory and this also contributed to his client not having a fair trial.

He said that during the trial the result of these conflicting laws allowed the prosecution to produce witnesses who had never been cross examined.

Mr Attard was sentenced to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of being an accomplice to the 2001 murder of warden Fortunata Spiteri. Jurors convicted Mr Attard by seven votes to two but acquitted him of  masterminding the killing.

Handing down sentence, Mr Justice Michael Mallia said Mr Attard's involvement in the murder was the "last straw" because Mr Attard had spent his life "challenging authority".

The judge took into consideration a crime committed by Mr Attard in 1975 in which he had caused injuries to his father which resulted in his death. 

Mr Attard was the second person to stand trial after Benny Attard was jailed for 30 years last year after admitting his involvement in the crime.

A third man, Giuseppe Farrugia, was also implicated but died while proceedings were still ongoing.