A man facing charges of having shot at the front door of a fellow Żejtun resident had previously clashed with the victim and had once threatened to kill him, it was alleged in court on Monday. 

Errol Grech, 41, was denied bail earlier this month after pleading not guilty to the shooting incident which took place in the early hours of August 5 at Żejtun. 

His alleged victim had filed a police report at 6.15am that day, following damage to the front door of his house. 

Senior inspector Melvyn Camilleri testified on Monday that the door’s glass pane was shattered and a hole in it appeared to have been caused by a firearm.

CCTV footage from the scene showed that a vehicle had stopped outside the house at around 2:15am. Its hazard lights were on, making it hard to make out the car’s registration plates. 

A shot was fired from the car and the aggressor then drove off. 

However, investigators soon linked Grech to the crime after they identified the car used by particular damages it had previously incurred.

Inside the car, police found a red spent shotgun cartridge on the passenger side. Police also seized a shotgun and red cartridges during a search of Grech’s home, the court was told. 

That late-night shooting appears to have been the last in a series of incidents between the alleged victim and the accused, the court was told on Monday. 

On July 18, the alleged victim had turned up at the local police station, reporting that his Alfa Romeo had been damaged. Police investigations had not led to the identification of the culprit in that instance, inspector Camilleri said. 

Three days later, the same resident had again turned up at 7:00am to report that he had clashed with Grech just minutes earlier, claiming that Grech had threatened to kill him. 

When confronted by police, Grech downplayed the incident, saying that he was only joking and insisting that he had no problems with anyone. 

On July 24, the alleged victim reported more damage to a door leading to his field. 

Following the August 5 shooting incident, Grech was arraigned over a raft of charges, including unlawful possession of the weapon, firing the gun in a residential area, harassing, insulting and threatening his alleged victim beyond the limits of provocation. 

He is pleading not guilty and is currently being held in preventive custody.

Answering questions by parte civile lawyer Stefano Filletti, inspector Camilleri said that Grech told police that the car allegedly involved in the incident was only used by him. The man’s relatives had apparently expressed concern about his behaviour prior to the incident, describing it as not “normal” and had urged him to see a doctor, Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia heard. 

The case continues in September.

Lawyers Franco Debono  and Marion Camilleri are defence counsel.Lawyer Stefano Filletti appeared parte civile.