A police officer described on Tuesday how a white piece of file paper turned red when dipped in a darkish patch of liquid beneath a silver Peugeot model belonging to Mario Farrugia, whose badly decomposed body was found inside its boot in April, a court was told.

Police Sergeant Andrew St John was testifying in the compilation of evidence against 38-year-old Elliot Paul Busuttil, from Attard, who is pleading not guilty to murdering the 62-year-old taxi driver who was reported missing a few days before his body was found.

At a previous sitting, Farrugia’s brother had told the court how days before his disappearance, the victim had voiced concern about two particular clients who underpaid him.

Farrugia was trying to offload them, telling his brother that he believed that the pair were “involved in drugs”.

Mario Farrugia’s badly decomposed body was found in the boot of a car in Qormi. Inset: The accused, Elliot Paul Busuttil

Days after that conversation, the man’s lifeless body was discovered inside the luggage boot of his vehicle.

An autopsy subsequently confirmed that he had suffered some 40 stab wounds. 

On April 5, a police sergeant and two constables from the St Julian’s district office were alerted to the sighting of a Peugeot 407 model that possibly belonged to Farrugia, the Pembroke man who had been reported missing three days earlier.

The man had bought the car to operate a small taxi service so as to supplement his disability pension.

Heading to Qormi, in the area of the lime kiln, the officers drove past the Boċċi club and spotted the silver vehicle parked on the left side of the valley, in front of a camper van and facing Rabat.

The doors were locked and peering inside the vehicle, which bore lots of blood rain residue, the officers observed that there was nothing suspicious.

But soon, they sensed a “strong odour”.

Circling the vehicle, the officers noted that the strange smell got stronger when they approached the rear end where lots of flies buzzed around the metal work. 

Peering beneath the car, the witness spotted a darkish patch on the road tarmac, right below the floor board on the left passenger side.

Fetching a sheet of file paper from the police van, the sergeant ripped off a small corner and dipped the paper into the dark liquid.

“When it absorbed the liquid, it turned red,” explained St John.

He immediately issued instructions to preserve the crime scene and alerted his superiors.

Luckily, the police van happened to be loaded with barriers used in Paceville and those proved handy to fence off and preserve the crime scene, explained the officer. 

As people began to gather round the area, police focused on keeping media and other third parties away while duty magistrate Gabriella Vella was informed of the discovery.

Two constables who were accompanying St John that morning in Qormi, also testified. 

PC Andrew John Tabone also recalled the “strange smell” which he described as “unpleasant… like something decomposing… Like some dead mouse on the road”.

His colleague, PC Jonathan Buttigieg, described the “big, grey Peugeot model” that was very dusty.

It was evident that the car had been parked there for quite some time, since its windscreen was very dirty, he said. 

As for the “strange smell”, it was “the smell of death… like some dead animal,” explained the witness, as he too recalled how his superior had touched the darkish liquid beneath the car with a piece of paper. 

“It turned reddish black,” he said. 

The case, presided over by magistrate Astrid May Grima, continues in July.

Inspector Wayne Camilleri is prosecuting, assisted by AG lawyers Kaylie Bonnett and Maria Schembri. Lawyers Edward Gatt and Ishmael Psaila are defence counsel.  Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri are appearing parte civile.