31 years jail for complicity
'Crimes such as these are totally unacceptable in a civilised society'
Joseph Zammit, 52, was last night jailed for 31 and a half years after jurors found him guilty of being an accomplice in the murder of bank messenger Alphonse Ferriggi over eight years ago.
After eight hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on seven of the eight counts in the bill of indictment, finding Mr Zammit guilty of being an accomplice in the murder of Mr Ferriggi on September 18, 2000.
In handing down judgment, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono highlighted Mr Zammit's more than colourful criminal record that dates back to 1978 and records 26 convictions for everything from traffic offences to drug possession and theft.
Mr Ferriggi, 42, was delivering internal bank mail at 5.24 a.m. when a black Volkswagen Golf drove up next to him. A shot rang out, hitting him in the head.
The surveillance cameras outside the bank caught everything but the identity of the people in the car from where the shot was fired.
Two main witnesses, Ninu Frendo and Dominic Chircop, went to the police with vital information that secured the arrest of two of the four people that were allegedly involved in the murder. Shortly after the murder, Mr Frendo had spoken to Mr Zammit and the latter admitted to having been the driver of the getaway car but not the one who pulled the trigger.
Mr Chircop overheard an argument between Mr Frendo and Mr Zammit during which the latter was heard saying: "I told him not to shoot him. I stayed in the field".
In submissions on punishment, defence lawyer Josè Herrera asked the court to take into consideration the fact that the verdict was not unanimous. In addition, his client was not the person that pulled the trigger and the level of his participation should also be taken into account.
The prosecuting lawyer, Aaron Bugeja, asked the court to bear in mind the seriousness of the crime and to strike a balance between the punishment and the message that would be given to society. "Crimes such as these are totally unacceptable in a civilised society," he added.
Lawyers David and Stephen Farrugia Sacco also appeared for Mr Zammit.