A man serving a 15-year jail term over his involvement in a 2009 armed robbery at a mobile phone shop in Birkirkara insisted yesterday that his accomplice knew where they were going and had even provided the weapon.

Jonathan Coleiro, 31, from Cospicua, spoke about Matthew Mizzi’s involvement in the crime and recounted how Mr Mizzi had driven him there because he did not know how to drive.

Mr Mizzi, 29, of Cospicua, is facing a trial by jury and pleading not guilty to complicity in the armed robbery and in the attempted murder of the shop owner after he was shot twice in the arm and chest.

Taking the witness stand, Mr Coleiro told jurors that he never meant to kill or hurt shop owner Charles Zammit and had only fired the shots out of fear when Mr Zammit chased him out of the Birkirkara mobile phone shop. Mr Coleiro said that the weapon used during the robbery was provided by Mr Mizzi but admitted that he had seen it before.

Mr Mizzi is insisting that he simply dropped Mr Coleiro off in Birkirkara and knew nothing of the hold-up.

Coleiro claimed the police hit him

Mr Coleiro said he never corrected this assertion because Mr Mizzi was a “good friend” and had been left “shocked and breathless” by his denial.

During his day-long testimony, Mr Coleiro claimed that the police hit him in the face with a weapon during his arrest. He also said that an officer spat at him.

But the police officer who arrested him, Anthony Borg, denied hitting Mr Coleiro in the face. He explained that he could have hit him by mistake during a scuffle, as Mr Coleiro was resisting arrest and was also trying to escape. Mr Coleiro said that he had decided to target the mobile phone shop when he visited it two days earlier to purchase a mobile phone contract.

“I went there two days before and thought that the shop was worth it,” he said. He and Mr Mizzi carried out the hold-up, as they needed the money to fund their drug addiction. He said he stole three mobile phones and a laptop and admitted that none of the stolen items were given to Mr Mizzi. The trial continues today. Lawyers Elaine Mercieca and Ann Marie Cutajar from the Attorney General’s office are prosecuting.

Lawyers Lucio Schiriha and Christopher Chircop are also appearing for Mr Mizzi.