Bondì testifies in trespass case

A Bondì+ episode showing clandestine entry into the Maghtab earth station was aimed at highlighting the ease with which a miscreant could enter the station, programme host Lou Bondì told a court yesterday.

"The aim of all investigative journalism is to serve the public interest. Our intention was to show what could happen if someone with bad intentions got into the station," Bondì said.

"We chose the earth station because it is a place where there is important communication equipment and we wanted to show how easy it is for someone to approach and damage the equipment."

Bondì testified before Magistrate Abigail Lofaro in the case against Bondì+ journalist Jeremy Camilleri, 27, of Sta Lucija, who is pleading not guilty to trespassing at the earth station on and before April 9, 2002, and causing less than Lm50 damage to the detriment of Maltacom plc.

Bondì explained that the Bondì+ episode that showed Camilleri entering the earth station was aired on April 9, 2002. It was the follow-up of a similar episode aired some six months earlier.

As a member of the Bondì+ team, Camilleri was instructed to test the security system of several places including the earth station.

Camilleri was simply instructed to enter the earth station but the method he was to use to get in was not discussed before or after the entry.

For this reason, Bondì said that although he was in a position to confirm that Camilleri managed to get into the earth station, he did not know how, since he was not present at the time.

When asked to identify the cameraman who filmed Camilleri's entry, Bondì replied that he did not know who he was and that he did not believe it was possible to identify him at this stage.

He explained that Bondì+ employed several cameramen from Where's Everybody as well as a number of freelancers. For the April 9 programme there were several teams working on the entry into several places, and although invoices issued by freelancers indicated the hours they worked, they did not record what was filmed by who.

Bondì said it was true that in a previous programme he had been filmed holding a big wire cutter but he did not have to use it since all he had to do was climb a fence to get in.

After the April 9 episode was aired, Maltacom stopped sponsoring the programme.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Silvio Valletta is prosecuting.

Dr Emmanuel Mallia and Dr Anthony Cremona are appearing for Camilleri, while Dr Richard Galea Debono is representing Maltacom plc.