Magistrate says enough evidence for Liam Debono to stand trial for attempted murder of constable

Arraignment of Liam Debono, accused of the attempted murder of police officer Simon Schembri in hit-and-run

Liam Debono being taken into court
Liam Debono being taken into court

 

The compilation of evidence against Liam Debono continued before Magistrate Joe Mifsud this morning. Follow the live-blog here by Massimo Costa here.

11:16 The Magistrate has now closed the compilation of evidence. He has decided the prima facie evidence is sufficient for Liam Debono to undergo a trial. Matthew Vella
11:16 An update on Simon Schembri's health situation from the prosecution: Schembri has left the ITU and is now in another ward. He is responding very well to treatment, and he even got out of bed and walked a short distance. Matthew Vella
11:13 The accused's mobile is "pattern locked" so certain examinations can't be undertaken on it. The expert didn't manage to crack the pattern lock. The court expert can't carry out his full duties in examining the phone. For him to do his duty, he requires to be told the pattern. Matthew Vella
11:12

Mamo then saw the car for the third time, but he can't recall how much time elapsed from the second time to the third time he saw it. "I don't know exactly where it came from, but this time it was coming in my direction... previously I had seen it going away from me in the industrial estate... after this third sighting of the car, I didn't see it again.

Mamo testimony ends - no more witnesses for today.

Matthew Vella
11:10

Mamo now explaining what happened after he saw the car for the second time. He says he saw it "swerving - like when something is stuck under the car and you are trying to dislodge it - like when a plastic bag is caught under your car."

Debono asked if he could see something under the car at the time. Mamo says he couldn't tell from the perspective he had - he could only see the car's sides, since it was swerving, and its bonnet.

This second sighting happened "near the reservoir, where there is the car dealer and the Nissen huts."

Debono asks if he saw the car having an impact, with Mamo replying in the negative. "I did not say any impacts."

"At no point did I see something under the car," he said, now clarifying that he only saw the object when it had been dislodged from under the car. "I tried to avoid the car because it was approaching me at speed from behind."

Debono asking how far the car was the first time that Mamo noticed the human being on the ground. "I can't say for sure. But I saw the car spinning its wheels and losing traction at its back end. The car kept going towards the industrial estate. At no point did I see the person who was driving."

Matthew Vella

11:00

Defence lawyer Franco Debono now asking Mamo why he felt he had to call emergency for a secod time, given there were already police officers at the scene. Mamo said he had been told to do so by the police on the scene.

"When I first exited my car, only I and the other person who I asked if he had called emergency, were on the scene. I have a medical background," Mamo said, explaining this is why he had stayed on the scene even after the police arrived.

Mamo is now explaining the route he normally takes to get to work at San Vincenz. "I saw the Mercedes [for the first time] somewhere along this route." He now appears less clear exactly where he saw it.

Debono saying it is not true that Mamo saw the Mercedes for the first time in the Hal Ghaxaq bypass. "It is not true. He did not go through the Hal Ghaxaq bypass. You can't tell us where you saw the car for the first time. You were explaining that he tried to overtake you, but you don't know where you saw it."

"You first explained where you saw the car for the first time, but now you can't tell us where," Debono said. "I would like to know exactly which road he saw the car for the first time. He is now saying he doesn't remember where. What was worth noting about this car," Debono asked.

"The fact he tried to overtake me from the left," Mamo replied.

"So you can't remember where you saw it, even though this overtaking attempt happened," Debono insisted.

Matthew Vella
10:50 Christopher Mamo then called emergency for a second time - on instructions of the police officers who had arrived at the scene - to give them the number plate of the car which had ran over the policeman. He said it was KAS686 and the car was a Mercedes. Emergency, incredulously, asked, "Did that guy keep going?!", to which he replied "Yes." Matthew Vella
10:48 The emergency call is being played in court: Christopher Mamo can be heard telling A&E that someone was run over... that someone else had a motorcycle close by. He told emergency where the accident had happened. Emergency told him them already had been informed about it. Matthew Vella
10:47

"Shortly later I saw the car for the second time - it was clear to me that was the car I had seen before [when he had taken the exit road shortly before, I thought I had saved my skin because I thought he was coming for me] - I saw an object on the ground - I did not know if it was under the car or if it had been hit by the car.

"I then realised, in a split-second, that it was not an object but a human being. I saw a helmet and other things which do not belong to an inanimate object. I stopped my car and got out. I spoke to a person who was there and asked if he called an ambulance. I don't even know what he replied. I called emergency, and then police officers arrived."

Matthew Vella
10:43 "During the Hal Ghaxaq bypass sighting - when I saw the car for the first time - I thought the car was coming for me, because of its speed. I had to swerve to try to avoid a collision. I undertook three maneuvers to avoid him. When I did my last maneuver, his car took the exit to the Hal Farrug industrial estate. This road is not a road to drive fast in, especially at the time of day." Matthew Vella
10:37

Christopher Mamo, a civilian, now giving testimony:

"At around 7.30am I was on my way to work at San Vincenz de Paul hospital. I was coming from the direction of the airport and driving towards Qormi.

"On the way, at first I do not remember seeing anything. Then I remember horns, and looked in my car's rear view mirror. I saw a car approaching 'aggresively'. The car was a Mercedes - I recognised its badge - I remember I had already seen that car earlier that day during my trip. I couldn't recognise the exact colour as my rear windscreen was a bit dirty - but it was a light colour, silverish.

"It was approaching at substantial speed and was swerving. It was 'aggressive' because of the speed.

"I had earlier seen the Mercedes driving as I was driving through the Hal Ghaxaq bypass. He had tried to overtake me from the left. I recognised this was the same car as I saw the sticker on the car - a yellow sticker with writing in cursive. At the time I did not recognise what the words were on the sticker. But I remember seeing that stiker earlier in the Hal Ghaxaq Bypass. The sticker was on the front windscreen - I saw it through my rear view mirror."

Matthew Vella
10:33 Court expert Vincent Ciliberti has now taken the witness stand, to pass on photos he took at the scene. He is exhibiting the documentation found in the Mercedes's glove compartment, which includes a Transport Malta certificate, together with certificate from four other cars, including a forklifter and concrete mixer. Matthew Vella
10:27 The telephone call between Darmanin and emergency is now being played in court. Darmanin sounds very agitated, and is insisting that they send someone immediately. Emergency asks for the car's number plate - Darmanin says it's KAS686. Darmanin says "just send someone!" Darmanin tells emergency that he has a camera outside his office. The call ends. Matthew Vella
10:23 "A first aider who got there started telling the police officer 'Simon, stay with me. Simon, stay with me'. I left the matter in the first aider's hands then." Matthew Vella
10:23 "We - myself and my employees - saw something at the bottom of the car. At first we thought it was a car bumper under the car's running board - it was black. When this thing was dislodged from under the car, we realised it was a human being. I went towards this person, and as I was walking I called emergency. When I arrived next to him - I was still on the phone with emergency - I realised it was a police officer.

"Somebody else then stopped his car to help. We tried to find something to put around the policeman's arm. I went down next to the police officer - at that time I did not even know if he was dead or alive as he wasn't moving. I told him that I had called an ambulance to come for him, but he didn't give me any response."
Matthew Vella
10:22 Kenneth Darmanin now on the witness stand - giving testimony regarding CCTV. At around 8am, Darmanin was in the office of his business which was in the proximity of where the incident happened. He had a window opened...and at one point he heard a loud breaking noise. He looked out of the window towards the main road and saw a grey Mercedes skidding. Matthew Vella
10:17 All the witnesses he spoke to said a silver Mercedes Benz was involved in the accident.

"I was shortly after told that the person allegedly involved was stopped at Hal Farrug, some distance up from Monte Kristo. We went there, and found the car along with Liam Debono, who had been arrested. He was in handcuffs, and two RIU officers were with him. When we went to HQ, we realised the license on the Mercedes Benz did not match the number plate. We checked the number plate and it resulted that it was of a Ford Escort."

Matthew Vella
10:12 Policeman stationed at Luqa station who was working on 15 May in the morning giving testimony. He said he received a telephone call at the station - coming from the police control room - saying that a policeman had been involved in a hit and run. He left the station and went to where he was told the policeman injured in the incident was... as he was approaching the scene, he noticed long tyre marks. Once they arrived at the scene, the saw the injured policeman on he ground. "He had such serious injuries that I couldn't even get myself to look at him. A paramedic was giving him first aid. Some time later an ambulance arrived. We then spoke to witnesses at the scene." Matthew Vella
10:09 Sergeant D'Amato, who was on duty the morning of the incident at Ta' Kandja, takes the witness stand. He said that while in the search party, he saw Debono tailgating a large truck. Debono tried to manoeuvre out of the narrow road but ended up trapped and crashed into a wall, and the car's air bags blew up in the air. Debono ran off into a wheat field, where he raised his arms in the air. Matthew Vella
10:07 Borg said Debono was driving a left-hand drive Mercedes. He took DNA samples from the car. A part of PC Schembri's jacket lodged into a back part of the Mercedes, close to its bumper. Matthew Vella
10:06 Welcome to today's live blog from the court arraignment of Liam Debono. Forensics expert Arthur Borg today has told the court of how he collected PC Simon Schembri's name tag, zip bag, rubber discs, fragments from his helmet and padding from his jacket from the road near the Lidl supermarket in Luqa. He later collected PC Schembri's clothing from hospital. His vest and shirt showed clear signs of friction. Matthew Vella

READ MORE ‘He didn’t have to do that, all I did was stop him’: first responder gives account of PC Simon Schembri’s words

KEY POINTS

  • The Mercedes Liam Debono was driving belonged to his sister, who also had no licence, and was garaged.
  • Debono was driving the car using stolen number plates, which he bought off a man in Żejtun for €10.
  • Four days before the hit-and-run, Debono had been caught driving without licence and had crashed into another car. That case was never reported because the person he crashed into declined to press charges.
  • PC Simon Schembri had initially stopped Debono because he was not wearing a seatbelt. He then radioed in and discovered the car’s number plates were stolen.
  • The friction mark caused by the Mercedes was 360 metres long.
  • PC Schembri was wearing upgraded protective gear which he had paid for from his pocket.
  • Mr Debono remained calm, collected and tight-lipped during his police interrogation.