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Sandra Aquilina

A man accused of shooting near the home of the Senglea mayor changed his plea to Guilty yesterday.

Alfred Caruana, 38, admitted firing a shotgun in an inhabited area on 8 June.

The court heard Mr Caruana spotted his estranged wife in a bar with the mayor’s son, Renald Casha.

Police inspector David Saliba told the court Mr Casha said the accused saw them while they were out for a drink in Paceville.

He said they had acknowledged each other but had not spoken.

Mr Casha claimed he then went home and was woken up by the accused shouting and insulting him, said the inspector.

He said his family had managed to calm him down and send him away, but later he heard two shots being fired in the vicinity.

Inspector Saliba told the court he was informed of the shooting at 6.15am and met Mr Casha and his father, the Senglea mayor at Cospicua police station.

He said the mayor told him he had not seen anything, although he had heard shouting and later, some shots, but he could not tell who the shots were directed at.

Inspector Saliba said he spoke to the neighbours who said that Mr Caruana had been there with a shotgun and had fired two shots in the air. They said that he had not fired at anyone or anything, and that no one was injured.

The inspector said he went to the scene of the incident, Two Gates Street in Senglea, and found two spent cartridges on the ground, as well as a wad close by and another wad 10 metres away.

The inspector said he spoke to Brigadier Maurice Calleja who told him it was strange that the wads were found so close to each other, since this only happens if the shots are fired up in the air.

“If the person who fired wanted to hit something, he would have hit it for sure because the street is so narrow. Or else whoever fired the shots should not have a licence because he does not know how to use a rifle,” the Brigadier told the inspector.

Inspector Saliba said police eventually traced the accused’s parked car in Paola and police found his mobile number.

The inspector said that at about 7pm

that same day police finally got through

to the accused and convinced him to

go to the Police Headquarters.

Mr Caruana told police the shotgun was in a field near Zabbar, but the shotgun was not found. The accused then told police that he had asked a friend to pick it up and police got hold of the shotgun four hours after his arrest.

The inspector said the defendant had issued a statement in which he admitted his involvement and was charged in court.

Mr Caruana, is pleading Guilty to firing a shotgun in an inhabited area, breaching the peace, uttering obscene words in public and threatening and insulting members of the Casha family on 8 June.

Defence lawyer Jason Azzopardi asked the court to take into consideration the accused’s guilty plea at an early stage of the proceedings which, he argued, should mitigate punishment.

He asked the court to consider that if a jail term was imposed in this case, then a message would be sent out that whether one admits or not, punishment is the same.

Dr Azzopardi also asked the court to take into consideration that the accused had cooperated with police. The defence lawyer said that at no point had there been any danger to the health, life or property of third parties.

Although this did not justify shooting in an inhabited area, the accused should not pay for more than was his due, said Dr Azzopardi.

The case was deferred until 20 June.

The court was presided by magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera.

Inspector David Saliba prosecuted while Dr Aaron Mifsud Bonnici appeared in parte civile.