The daughter of murder victim Rita Ellul told a court how her mother had confided in her that the man accused of killing her had previously followed her from Gozo to Malta. 

The trial of Lawrence Abina, 32, who is accused of strangling Ellul to death on February 26, 2022, in an Għajnsielem apartment, continued on Saturday, with the jury hearing several witnesses involved in the investigation.

Abina denies all charges brought against him. 

The court heard from Jessica Ellul, one of the victim's three daughters, who went into detail about her niece’s First Holy Communion in July 2020, when her mother was meant to arrive in Malta from Gozo and attend the celebration at the church. 

She said her mother arrived late and went straight to the party afterward, held at the home of one of her sisters. 

At the time, Jessica said, her mother was still living with Abina in Gozo, so she had to catch the ferry to Malta. When her mother arrived at the party, she noticed that her mother seemed worried.

“I know my mother, I can tell when something is off,” Jessica said. 

She said that after an hour, her mother was already preparing to leave the party, and both sisters asked why. She said her mother had said she had plans to meet friends at Gianpula. 

“I noticed that she was doing things she doesn’t usually do, such as taking pictures of the children playing. She did this to send pictures to Lawrence to prove that she was with her daughters. I know this because my mum later opened up to me.”

When their mother left, the sisters discussed how they noticed something was different about their mother.

Working two jobs, Jessica recalled how she would try to meet her mother after she finished work, but her mother would always decline, saying she could only meet in the mornings.

“There were times when I would ask her to meet me after work, after 4pm, and she would tell me she couldn’t, and in my heart I used to ask, ‘why not’,” Ellul said.

She said she noticed these issues but never asked questions. 

Daughters accepted Lawrence out of respect for their mother

Then, in November 2020, Rita went over to her daughter's home and told her that Abina had left her for no reason. 

“She called him in front of me and asked him why he left, and he said it was for the best. I then asked him and he told me that they were arguing a lot and he was afraid he would hit her again,” she said. 

“My mother sat me down and opened up to me. She told me that that day back in July she had left early because she knew Lawrence was waiting for her at the roundabout in Żebbuġ, and she knew he was following her from Gozo to Malta. She also told me that he had hit her back in September after arriving home late and drunk.

“She told me she called the police because she was very upset and that this was not the first time it happened,” Ellul said, holding back tears.

She said that after her death, the family went to their mother's Iklin home and found a calendar in the kitchen with the number of Appoġġ services and Dar Merħba Bik, a women’s shelter. 

Jessica recalled how she and her sisters never accepted Lawrence, but she tried to accept him out of respect for her mother. 

“I did not want to fight with her, and I know in life you don’t always get what you want, so out of respect for my mum, I accepted him,” she said. 

Jessica said she and her mother last messaged three days before she was murdered. Ten days before her death, Jessica said her mother called her and she spoke to both her mother and Abina.

“I last saw her three weeks before she died, and we had a normal conversation, about our work and that I was considering buying property. It was a normal conversation,” she said. 

Social workers classified Ellul's report as ‘medium' risk

The jury also heard in more detail about an alleged case of abuse that happened on September 17, 2020. 

Then, the police at the Birkirkara police station received a call from Ellul’s cousin, stating that the victim was being beaten up by her partner. The police arrived on the scene and the victim told them that Abina had gone out with her cousin and when he returned, he started hitting her on the head. 

Police sergeant Kevin Grima said Abina was in bed pretending to be asleep and when woken up he said Rita was provoking him and he got nervous and slapped her, and she slapped him back and he slapped her once again, and then went to sleep.

Ellul was taken to the Mosta health centre for a medical examination and she was referred to Mater Dei Hospital but did not go.

From the health centre, Ellul was taken to the Birkirkara police station, where two social workers assessed her. 

The social workers, Rachel Farrugia and Ryan Grima, also testified in court on Saturday and gave details on their risk assessment. 

To draw this up, they used a tool known as the DASH system- Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Risk Identification. This identifies the risk of harm. 

Farrugia said the risk assessment classified Rita's case as “medium risk” and read out her report. 

“Ellul said she was scared that her partner could inflict further damage  and that she was afraid Abina would kill her,” Farrugia said, quoting her notes. 

During the interview with the social workers, Rita said that Abina told her on one occasion that “if you do not shut up, I will kill you”.

“Ellul alleged that he attempted to strangle her back in March or April 2020,” Farrugia said.

She said the risk assessment concluded that there were factors of fear, association of abuse, strangulation, threats to kill, and alcohol abuse. 

“She was offered accommodation but refused,” Farrugia said. 

A member of the jury asked if there was any follow-up to the report, to which Farrugia said that during the risk assessment, Ellul agreed to be followed up with another social worker, but she said she did not know what happened after that.

Mario Xerri, one of the doctors who examined the scene, who also testified on Saturday, said he found it strange that sheets on the side of the bed where the accused claimed to have slept that night were not creased.

He also went into detail about how bruises around the victim's neck appeared post-mortem and indicated that Ellul died through strangulation. 

The case continues on Monday at 9am.

Lawyers Kaylie Bonnet, Anthony Vella and Nathaniel Falzon are prosecuting on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General. 

Lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace was appointed as Abina’s legal aid counsel. 

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri are appearing parte civile for the Ellul family.