Police officer recalls blast at his home

Up to four years after a bomb exploded on the doorstep of a police officer's home, endangering his life and that of his family asleep inside, no one was willing to take the witness stand and reveal what they knew about the incident, jurors heard yesterday.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Cassar, who was an inspector when a bomb exploded outside his Zabbar home in 1994, explained how he found it psychologically taxing that several people had divulged information about the blast but no one was ready to confirm it in court under oath, rendering the information useless.

Then, finally, in 1998 a man who was tired of the drug world was willing to speak up. The man, the late Marco Abdilla, was ready to testify that Emanuel Camilleri had planted the bomb because the officer was an obstacle to his drug-dealing business as he was arresting many people in drug circles.

The assistant police commissioner was testifying before Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono in the trial by jury of Camilleri, 40, of Mqabba.

Camilleri, known as Leli l-Bully, is pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of the officer and his family and endangering their lives when he caused an explosion on May 23, 1994.

He is also pleading not guilty to trafficking in heroin and cocaine between May 1994 and June 1998 and seriously injuring Abdilla when he shot him in the leg on March 21, 1998.

In his evidence, the assistant police commissioner said that on the night of the incident, he and his wife, his nine-year-old daughter and his three-year-old son were asleep at home when, at about 1.35 a.m., he heard an explosion.

"I woke up immediately as I realised it was an explosion, thinking it was a gas explosion. I checked if my wife and children were alright and asked them to get out of the house through the garage.

"I made my way towards the kitchen. There was a thick cloud of smoke. When I arrived near the front door, I saw a disaster. The main door was on the floor in the corridor and there was a lot of damage. That was when I realised that someone had planted a bomb outside my front door."

The officer explained how he walked outside, where neighbours had gathered, and preserved the scene. He then called the police headquarters and the inquiring magistrate and court experts went on the scene.

There were about Lm2,000 in damages. "A door can be fixed but the psychological damage left by such an experience remains there for a lifetime. To make things worse the burden was greater for me as there was my family involved," he said.

He said that after the explosion he tried to think of a reason why the bomb had been planted and immediately concluded it was work related.

He had been in the vice squad since September 1993 during which time he successfully investigated about 70 drug cases. For this reason it was difficult for him to suspect in one person because he had touched several drug rings through his investigations.

Time passed and on September 23, 1994, there was a double murder in Mosta. He was later asked to go on the scene to investigate a drug find and there he was told that there had been a development in the investigation into the explosion as Charles Muscat, known as Il-Pips, was being investigated about the murder and had mentioned that Camilleri had planted the bomb.

Eventually, Muscat confirmed this allegation in the presence of the witness. The assistant police commissioner said he had asked Muscat how he knew about this once he was not involved and Muscat recounted that two months earlier (before September 1994) he was having a drink with Camilleri when Michael Micallef, known as It-Tikka, walked into the bar and Camilleri went to speak to him.

Muscat said that when Camilleri returned he was angry and told him (Muscat) that Micallef was not a real gentleman considering what he (Camilleri) had done for him. Muscat asked Camilleri what he had done for Micallef and Camilleri told him he had planted a bomb outside Michael Cassar's house after Micallef had urged him to.

The witness said that on hearing Muscat tell him this, the reason why the bomb was planted became clear to him. He explained how on one occasion he had raided the Hompesch Social Club, in Zabbar, from where between Lm12,000 and Lm18,000 worth of drugs a week were sold on behalf of Muscat and Camilleri.

Micallef managed the club and on the day of the raid he had told the police officer to leave him in peace because his friends were capable of doing anything. The police officer went on to search the club but no drugs were found.

The witness added that Muscat told him that Camilleri had planted the bomb outside his house because he had arrested many drug dealers.

At that point the officer asked Muscat to testify in court but he said he would only do so if he was not alone, that is, someone else was brought to testify about the case.

The officer explained that although he had heard many accounts about the bomb, no one was willing to testify in court. To him this was psychologically stressful.

Then, in June 1998, a colleague called the witness and informed him that someone was willing to speak up about the explosion and testify in court. This was Marco Abdilla. Abdilla released a police statement in which he said that in May 1994 Camilleri had approached him and asked him to plant a bomb in front of Michael Cassar's main door in exchange for 200 grammes of cocaine.

Camilleri told Abdilla, a drug addict, he wanted to do this because the office had arrested a lot of people involved in the drug ring. Abdilla turned down the request saying he did not want to end up in jail and have a tainted conscience.

Two days before the explosion Camilleri repeated the offer to Abdilla and told him that if he turned it down he would have to do it himself. A few days after the explosion, Camilleri told him he had done it.

Abdilla also told the witness that by June 1996 he owed Camilleri Lm30,000 for drugs he had acquired from him. On one occasion Camilleri went to Abdilla's house and shot him in the leg. Abdilla was taken to hospital where he refused to expose Camilleri and in return Camilleri did not insist on repayment of the debts.

The witness said that when he asked Abdilla why he had decided to speak up then, Abdilla said he was sick of the drug world and wanted to get out of it but every time he tried to Camilleri lured him back.

Police Superintendent Neil Harrison and Superintendent Neville Aquilina took the witness stand and gave an account of investigations in which several people said they bought drugs from Camilleri.

The trial continues.

Assistant Attorney General Anthony Barbara is prosecuting.

Dr Michael Sciriha and Dr John Attard Montalto are appearing for Camilleri.