Monday, 8th February 2010 - 08:21CET
Updated: Court told how hitman was offered €23,000 to kill woman
Updated: adds evidence by the accused.
A court heard this morning how a man accused of plotting to throw a woman off a cliff had been offered €23,000 to commit the crime.
Carmel Vella 33, of San Gwann, stands accused of planning, along with another man, Josef Grech, to lure Patricia Attard to l-Ahrax so that they could push her off the cliff. The crime did not take place because Mrs Attard was afraid to approach the cliff edge.
A month later, on February 14, 2004, Mrs Attard was found shot dead in Ta' Qali.
Taking the witness stand this morning, Police Inspector Chris Pullicino said that on February 14, 2004, he was informed that a person had been found dead in Ta’ Qali. When Patricia Attard was identified he called in her husband Ritchie Attard. The two were undergoing separation proceedings at the time and the information given to the police was that the husband wanted to pay someone to kill her.
The Inspector said that Vella had told the police that while he was having a drink in San Gwann, Grech spoke to him about killing a woman.At around mid January, he took him to a travel agency and pointed out Patricia.
Assistant Police Commissioner, Pierre Calleja said the accused had told the police that he was twice offered €23,000 for the the killing. He however denied accepting.
Mr Vella had also denied involvement in the killing, adding that when he heard that she had been killed he immediately thought it was Grech as he had told him that her husband was ready to pay €23,000 for the killing.
ACCUSED GIVES EVIDENCE
Taking the witness stand, Mr Vella said that he had known Mr Grech for quite a long time but he did not know either the victim, Patricia, or her husband.
One day while he was at the San G.wann bocci club, Mr Grech approached him and asked if he was interested in some work which paid €23,000. Mr Grech told him it was to kill a woman.
Mr Vella said that his immediate reaction was to ask him if he was crazy and tell him that he wouldn't even do it for €1 million. He said that Mr Grech spoke to him again two weeks before Christmas and he insisted that they kill her, because he had money problems.
After trying to avoid persistent phone calls from him, Mr Grech called him at home and he spoke to him. He asked him to go with him because his car was at a sprayer. Mr Grech picked him up and they drove to St. Pauls Bay. There he saw Mr Grech get into a white transit van and leave. Mr Vella asked him to wait there.
After half-an-hour, he called him and asked him to go to L-Ahrax and wait near the red tower. Some time after that he asked him to drive in further towards the cliffs, however, when he got there, Mr Grech told him that he was now back in St Paul's Bay.
Mr Vella said that Mr Grech told him that Patricia Attard did not want to go near the edge of the cliffs.
Following this incident, the two men never spoke again, Mr Vella said.
He added that during the course of the investigations, he was threatened by Mr Grech who made a sign with his hand in the shape of a gun.
The trial is expected to be concluded tomorrow.
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Comments
My opinion is that being bad is being mad. Yes, mad in the sense that, for whatever reason, one has no insights and fails to see the knock-on effect of one's actions. As a result, things get out of hand. The 'mad' person's life thus becomes a living-hell, rendering a living-hell the lives of those around him/her. A very clear and straightforward example of this is the damage caused by lying, its consequences. This is why there are strict libel laws everywhere. From experience I can guarantee one thing. If somebody does me wrong (in the sense that to them doing wrong is 'normal'), then I don't need to do anything. From a distance, without lifting a finger, I just watch - if I can be bothered - to see their life disintegrate. Becasue wrong-doing is its own punishment, its hell. You can all see around you incredible examples of what I'm saying. The 'mad' need to be checked upon with severity. Whether in a psychiatric ward/prison cell, it matters not. Because badness/madness/badness poisons the earth.
Maybe there is a god after all.
Killing a person is completely wrong. I do not even subscribe to capital punishment neither. Even well trained soldiers, whose job is to eventually take life, have problems sometimes dealing with the aftermath, consider Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, for example.
People can also be angry about somebody's behaviour or actions, that's normal, but to kill, thats anger management gone horribly wrong, I'm afraid. The "heat of the moment" has indeed lead to many violent outcomes, too. It may be the case of acting in defence against "Abusive" behaviour within a "confined environment" such as, yes indeed, the domestic household.
People may also have grudges, ideally, such "unfinished business" should be dealt with in an open and honest manner. I think in some cases, when this "reconciliation" is not sought, things pile up, leading to.............??
Having said this, there are those who might have a mischievous mind too, they tend to have criminal tendencies, even though I suspect that crime is a learned process, at least partly. !! Criminology is not as straight forward as one might think. It may also involve some kind of "expected behaviour" within a criminal group or organisation.
You just forget to mention one thing for such killings to occur,.It's not about just taking your shares and leave, it's about taking all possessions - money.
You will always be remembered
xxx
I agree with you completely. Although if everyone has your line of thought then it would be a perfect world. Unfortunately this is far from reality.
I can disagree with many people, maybe even hate some for doing bad things to me, however to come to the point to actually plan to murder someone is beyond my comprehension. Reason being that if I dont like a person, I dont stay with the person, if it is my wife or husband and I for some reason dont stand them, I leave and make another life up with someone else. If its a business relationship going wrong, I sell my share and leave, if it is someone bullying me or something, I use the authorities, etc... killing is something that should never be on anyone's books, not even in a hot headed argument, when you're about to explode or being pushed around, leave the scene, pass as a chicken, so what! In the longer term it is you who gains moe from doing so, rather than taking on a fight. What is the gain of killing? Rest of life in behind bars? Feeling guilt for the rest of your life?