Court hears 112 and 119 emergency calls in Bidnija road rage murder case

Emergency calls describing the moment Jean Paul Busuttil was shot were played out in court on Monday as the case against Mohamed Hamdan continues.

Hamdan, 46, is being charged with murdering Busuttil in a road rage incident in Bidnija on 29 June.

The eight 112 and 119 telephone recordings captured a panicked LESA warden reportedly shouting that the accused was shooting at the victim and urging immediate assistance.

Several other callers were heard asking for an ambulance to be sent to Bidnija, claiming that shots were being fired, while others made urgent requests for RIU police intervention.

The incident, initially described as a road rage case, occurred early that Sunday morning when Hamdan collided with victim Jean Paul Busuttil, who had been driving with his wife and mother in law, while Hamdan was reportedly riding against traffic.

The court heard that, following the crash, Hamdan returned home to retrieve a firearm before shooting Busuttil five times at close range. It was also stated in court that Busuttil’s wife claimed Hamdan shouted that he hoped her husband would die after firing the fatal shots.

Magistrate Astrid May Grima issued a prima facie decree, determining that there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed, as neither party challenged the motion.

The prosecution presented interim evidence, including the inquiry report and the emergency call recordings. The defence argued that Hamdan’s own earlier call to LESA had been omitted from the evidence and successfully urged the court to order the production of all related recordings by the next sitting.

Testimonies from the victim’s wife and mother in law, who witnessed the shooting, were deferred pending the review of all evidence. The next hearing has been scheduled for 19 September 2025.

Hamdan, a Libyan national with a prior record of violent crime , including an attempted murder charge in 2006 and assaults in 2011 and 2013, is pleading not guilty to murder, illegal firearm possession, wilful damage, recidivism, and other charges.

Lawyers Mario Mifsud, Nicholas Mifsud and Edward Gatt are representing the defendant.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi, Jacob Magri and David Farrugia Sacco are representing the victim's family.