Bona murder: Il-Bona called Galea six times in ten minutes before murder

The man accused of the 2010 murder of Anthony Borg, il-Bona, had received no less than six phone calls from the deceased in the space of ten minutes on the evening of the murder, a jury has been told.

This morning, IT expert Martin Bajada answered questions about his forensic analysis of the deceased’s two mobile phones and the related call profiles.

Lawyer Giannella Giannella De Marco, part of the legal team defending Allan Galea, who is accused of stabbing Borg to death, cross-examined.

De Marco pointed out that in the evening of the 21 February, Borg had received a message from a person listed only as “Contact 0”. The message consisted solely of the mobile number of the accused.

”We agree therefore that on the 21 February, at 6:09pm, Borg’s second mobile phone line had called Allan Galea, the call lasting 51 seconds.” He affirmed. The sixth call took place at 06:18pm.

There were no calls from Galea to Borg and the calls had been made in the Birzebbugia/Marsaxlokk area, confirmed the expert.

DNA and genetics expert Marisa Cassar had been appointed to analyze samples of bodily fluids and DNA.

Anthony Borg’s DNA found on the knife, a hairclip and a supermarket card recovered from the van. Samples taken from beneath the fingernails of the deceased returned Galea’s DNA. This meant that the deceased’s left hand had made sufficient contact with the accused to transfer skin cells, explained the expert.

Paul Borg, who used to run the bar at the Marsaxlokk PN club in 2010, also testified.

Borg told the court that he knew the deceased as he would visit his bar, as would the deceased’s brother. On the day of the murder, il-Bona’s brother and his brother’s girlfriend were also there.

“It was a Sunday. I remember because the day before, my son was taken to hospital. Bona’s brother, Frans, arrived at around 11am and Bona himself came in at around 1 or 2pm. He came with his girlfriend.” He said he remembered the deceased as appearing happy.

“They started drinking beer, then he switched to vodka and Red Bull and stayed on it.” He recalled how the deceased would want his appetizers. “Hobz biż-żejt with tomatoes, with the seeds removed because he didn’t like them.”

On the day of his death, Borg had eaten a lot and had handed him a €30 tip. “He said it was because I fed him,” recalled the witness.

He had been washing the dishes when Borg asked him for Galea’s telephone number. There were seven or eight other people in the bar at the time.

The barman said he knew the accused, but not well. “I know Allan because he used to drink at my place in Marsaxlokk.” He said Galea had stopped frequenting his bar for a time as he would go elsewhere.

The victim had two phones, said the witness. “At around 5.40pm Bona called up Allan and started shouting that he wanted him to come down. Everyone in the bar could hear him.” Ten minutes later, the bar was empty, Borg's family having moved to a spot near the church. “I locked up.”

Asked why he closed shop, he said that he had become concerned at Borg’s shouting. “I didn’t want any trouble.”

He closed the front door of the club and started securing the inside. “By the time I had finished closing the toilets, locked up the bar and turned off the lights, the incident happened,” he recalled.

“Bona’s car was in front of the club and I couldn’t leave. I saw a man in the middle of the road and heard fighting. I saw a man on the ground. I heard [Antoine Borg’s brother] Frans shouting, ‘my brother’s dead.’’ Even though the body was lying face-up, he said he did not immediately recognise it to be Borg.

The witness was also a casualty of sorts in this murder, having been handed a suspended jail term after being found guilty of concealing evidence. “I paid a heavy price. The party closed my bar. They starved me. I didn’t even have enough money to pay the lawyer, I had to sell all I had,” said the man, his voice nearly breaking.

His mood soon lifted, however. Lawyer Kristina Debattista asked him in what position he had seen the body. “Do you want me to lie down here?” replied the witness to peals of relieved laughter.

Resuming his testimony, he said Frans Borg and his partner had handed him a gun, telling him to hold on to it and that it belonged to the deceased. “I accepted, idiot that I am. I thought that if I dropped it on the ground the incident would only get worse. I handed it to the police the next day. They came to my house with Frans and asked for the weapon.”

The prosecution asked whether he remembered any previous incident had taken place between the accused and the victim. The court had previously been told that the men had argued after the accused had touched a choker which Antoine Borg was wearing.

After much prompting and assistance, the witness recalled - with great difficulty - that three weeks prior to the murder, he had been in the kitchen when the accused had spoken to the victim. “Bona left his drinks on the bar.” He could not remember clearly whether anyone else had entered the bar after this.

“Allan had been drinking all day on that particular day [three weeks before the murder]. He was with his girlfriend and his daughter was there too. Bona left without finishing his three vodka Red Bull drinks, said the barman. “He came in with two girls and sat down at the bar.”

The judge asked whether the accused had been drunk. “He wasn’t drunk, but a bit tipsy," replied the witness.

“Did Allan take liberties with Bona?” asked the judge, but the witness said that if he had, he hadn’t seen them. “But two weeks after [the alleged choker incident] Frans came and told me his brother was really angry.”

The witness couldn’t recall who he was angry with, but said it could have been the accused. Unable to answer more questions, the barman said he vaguely remembered that Borg had told him something about an argument with the accused.

He was read his initial statement. “Allan was drunk,” reads his statement, “he grabbed Bona’s choker.” The accused nodded in the dock as the statement was read. The witness explained that he did not know how to read or write and that he had “testified before the magistrate in fear,” because

“Bona was fastidiously clean,” recalled the witness, “and Allan had a habit of teasing people and engaging in horseplay.”

Asked what he had done with the deceased’s handgun, Borg replied that he had hidden the weapon under a boat in Marsaxlokk. “Near the public toilets. Later, I moved it near the Zurrieq tunnels.”

The jury resumes in the afternoon.

Lawyers Giannella De Marco, Stephen Tonna Lowell and Joe Giglio are appearing as defence counsel to the accused whilst lawyers Franco Debono and Matthew Brincat are appearing parte civile.

Lawyers Lara Lanfranco and Kristina Debattista from the office of the Attorney General are prosecuting.