A notary who kept a pistol in his work bag in view of threats he received forgot to remove it when he was checking in at the airport last month, a court heard.
Magistrate Antonio Mizzi heard Police Inspector Sandro Zarb testify in the compilation of evidence against Notary Mark Anthony Sammut, 31, of Sliema who is pleading not guilty to the unlawful possession of a gun and ammunition in a restricted area of Malta International Airport on April 23.
Dr Sammut is also pleading not guilty to the possession of a semi-automatic MAB Brevete gun and ammunition without a licence.
Inspector Zarb said that on April 23 he was informed that a pistol had been found in the possession of a man who was checking in for a flight at the airport.
The man, Dr Sammut, had been stopped when officers noticed an object in the shape of a gun in his hand luggage. The item turned out to be a pistol with five bullets inside.
During questioning Dr Sammut admitted that the unlicensed pistol was his and had been in his possession for about a-year-and-a-half as several people had threatened to take his life.
The police searched his Sliema house and his Valletta office from where they seized computers and other electronic equipment. They also found a licensed air pistol and an air rifle.
The police learnt that in April 2004 Dr Sammut had filed a report claiming he had received threatening text messages. Some time that year he also reported being assaulted by a certain Francis Micallef.
He explained that since he started receiving threats he began carrying the pistol in his work bag and had mistakenly left it there when he was going abroad.
Magistrate Mizzi also heard PS Ivan Chetcuti explain that the pistol's safety catch engaged and the gun had to be cocked to be fired.
Inspector Paul Caruana said that analysis of the computers' content for material related to airports, explosives and similar matters resulted in the negative.
At the end of the sitting lawyer Emmanuel Mallia, for Dr Sammut, informed the magistrate that his client needed to go abroad for a close-friend's wedding and a conference.
The magistrate is to decide on this at a later stage and after a formal application is filed in court.