Man charged over Burmarrad shooting

A man being sought by the police over a shooting in Burmarrad on 13 December was charged in court this afternoon.

Damiano Alfio Rannisi Torrisi, 39, was charged with the attempted murder of Ivan Galea and Ronald Mallia, as well as injuring Galea and holding him against his will. Torrisi was also charged with extortion, and the theft of a vehicle.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

Torrisi was apprehended on Saturday evening following a raid in an apartment in Triq il-Kahli in Mellieha, resulting from a tip-off. He was reported to have been found hiding in dark area, and was preparing to flee the country.

Asked by the court to give his address, Torrisi said he could not remember the name of the apartment he lived in.

He was held under arrest.

In 2015, Torrisi was charged with the hold-up of a Rabat outlet together with 37-year-old Sicilian national Alessandro Giuseppe Gandolfo. The latter was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison in May 2017 for his involvement in the hold-up, during which the shop owner had been grievously injured.

Gandolfo and Torrisi were charged of a €2,000 theft from the shop, during which they had held the owner against his will and even caused him grievous injury. They were also charged with carrying an unlicenced pointed weapon, wearing a mask in public, and in the case of Gandolfo, being in possession of cannabis resin.

Although Gandolfo denied the charges when first arraigned, his admission later on allowed an agreement with the Attorney General to request incarceration of six years and eight months. He was also ordered to pay €3,461 in court fees.