Murder suspect Noel Azzopardi kept his gun licence because the police do not make medical checks on anyone applying to renew a weapons licence, it has emerged.

The 39-year-old, who had a licence to carry and possess weapons, is accused of murdering Eric Borg, who was shot twice in his hometown of Rabat on New Year’s Day.

Azzopardi is understood to have held a licence since he was 18 and was able to keep it despite receiving psychiatric treatment since 2016 and being under the care of a psychiatrist since then.

It transpires that due diligence conducted by the police when renewing a person’s licence to possess and use a weapon simply consists of a background check on its system, which flags whether the person was recently convicted of a crime or whether he or she is wanted over anything specific.

Murder suspect Noel Azzopardi has held a gun licence since he was 18. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

A spokesperson for the Malta Police Force told Times of Malta that “when a person applies for a firearms licence, a medical certificate stating whether the person is physically and mentally fit to have and use a firearm is mandatory”.

He added that when the licence is up for renewal, the police conduct an exercise on its system to check whether any red flags were raised.

The renewal process does not include a requirement to disclose relevant medical conditions. Issues of a psychiatric nature would have to be reported to the police for this to be flagged by the system, which includes traffic contraventions and convictions.

A firearms license is renewed every January, unless red flags emerge.

If a person is applying for a hunter’s licence, he or she must be registered with a recognised association. 

Firearms, weapons and ammunition seized

A number of firearms were seized from Azzopardi’s house during a search following the murder.

He also had access to other weapons and ammunition since his father is also a licensed hunter.

The police have been unable to establish a motive for the murder of Borg, 27, who was shot twice at about 3pm on New Year’s Day in Triq il-Fidloqqom, Rabat.

Azzopardi’s lawyers requested that his medical records, especially those related to Mount Carmel Hospital, be presented in court.

He is being held at the Forensic Unit at Mount Carmel Hospital following a psychiatric evaluation.

Eric Borg was shot twice in his hometown of Rabat on New Year's Day. Photo: Facebook

Azzopardi turned himself in at the Rabat police station shortly after the shooting. He is pleading not guilty to wilful homicide, using a firearm to commit a crime, firing a gun within 200 metres of an urban area and not ensuring that his gun and ammunition were kept in a secure place inside his home.

During his arraignment, Azzopardi had to have questions simplified and repeated to him before providing answers, even those requesting his name and surname.

Sources said his police interrogation had to be postponed by some hours before permission was obtained from the inquiring magistrate, Charmaine Galea, for him to be examined by a court-appointed psychiatrist to ascertain whether he was fit for questioning. The interrogation only resumed after the green light was given.

Police reports filed before murder

Sources close to the investigation told Times of Malta that Azzopardi had filed police reports claiming he was being followed.

It is unclear what action the police took on these reports.

A panel of court-appointed psychiatrists is yet to determine whether Azzopardi was in a state of mental confusion at the time of the alleged commission of the fatal crime.

The defence’s request for medical records to be made available to the court indicates that the defence may plead insanity at a later stage in the criminal proceedings.

Borg’s family have refuted media reports and social media rumours that he and Azzopardi were related and that there was a dispute between the pair over land.

Correction January 9, 2024: A previous version stated that licences are renewed every two years.