Jurors hear sub-machine gun fired

Jurors in an attempted murder trial yesterday were present at an experiment in which a sub-machine gun was fired once without a silencer and again with a silencer outside a Madliena villa.

Brigadier Maurice Calleja fired the gun at the on-site inquiry which was requested by jurors in the trial of Emanuel Zammit.

Zammit, 65, of Cospicua, is pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of Michael Angelo Fenech, also known as Il-Kelly, in Madliena, and holding him against his will on February 23, 1998.

Zammit is also pleading not guilty to stealing court exhibits, including a sub-machine gun, from the strong room at the law courts on the night between September 18-19, 1993.

During his testimony last Tuesday, Fenech explained that on the day of the incident he arrived at his Madliena villa and as he walked towards the main door his keys fell.

As he bent down to pick them up he heard the sound of a silenced gunshot and turned round to see Zammit, whom he said he had never seen before, pointing a gun at him.

But when Zammit took the witness stand the following day he said that Fenech had asked him to go to his Madliena house to test a silencer which he (Zammit) had made for him.

Zammit also said that the gun fired with the silencer was not as silent as Fenech had described it during his testimony.

On Friday, Senior counsel to the Republic Dr Mark Said requested that the experiment be carried out during yesterday's on-site inquiry.

The trial continues this morning.

Dr Giannella Caruana Curran and Dr Emanuel Mallia are appearing for Zammit while Dr José Herrera and Dr Joseph Giglio are appearing in parte civile.