Lassana Cisse murder trial: ballistics, CCTV evidence and witness credibility tested on day five
Forensic and ballistic evidence took centre stage on the fifth day of Lorin Scicluna's murder trial in Malta. A key prosecution witness also faced tough cross-examination over inconsistencies in his statements.
Ballistics, vehicle trail and a disputed witness mark fifth day of Scicluna murder trial
Forensic findings, a CCTV-traced vehicle and the reliability of a key witness dominated proceedings on the fifth day of the jury trial of Lorin Scicluna, maltatoday.com.mt reports. Scicluna, a 29-year-old former soldier, stands accused of murdering Ivorian national Lassana Cisse in Birżebbuġa on 6 April 2019.
Scicluna faces nine charges in total, among them the murder of Cisse, 42, a father of two, and the attempted murders of three other migrants. He denies all charges. A fellow former soldier, Francesco Fenech, is facing separate proceedings in connection with the same incident. The prosecution alleges the attack along Triq il-Ġebel was racially motivated.
Ballistic reconstruction
Forensic laboratory expert Patrick Farrugia presented his reconstruction of the shooting to the jury, drawing on bullet marks and spent cartridge cases recovered from the scene. He identified three shots directed towards a garage near where two surviving victims, Mohammed Jallow and Ibrahim Bah, were wounded. One projectile was believed to have struck surrounding stonework before ricocheting off the garage door and back towards the road.
Farrugia told jurors that the distribution of spent cartridges suggested the shooter may have been standing outside a vehicle, or firing with an arm extended through a window. At the defence's request, he demonstrated the operation of a semi-automatic pistol, noting that each shot required a separate trigger pull.
A separate forensic officer testified that fingerprint examination of eight items of evidence yielded no identifiable prints. An earlier expert had stated that spent cartridge cases recovered during the investigation showed a very strong probability of having been discharged from the firearm submitted for analysis.
White Toyota Starlet traced to accused
The afternoon session centred on the police investigation into a white Toyota Starlet captured on CCTV footage around the time of the murder. Police Sergeant Garry Xerri described how investigators tracked the vehicle's movements through several localities, including Għar Dalam, Tarxien and Paola.
The car initially appeared without registration plates and with a missing side mirror. Traffic camera images obtained subsequently helped investigators identify a similar vehicle that appeared to have been modified. Police ultimately established that the vehicle was registered to Scicluna.
The court heard that Scicluna was arrested on 17 May 2019 while accompanying an Armed Forces of Malta marching band in Naxxar. Searches that followed led to the seizure of several firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Under cross-examination, Xerri confirmed that Scicluna had cooperated with officers and voluntarily directed them to his licensed weapons.
Key witness challenged over inconsistencies
Earlier in the day, defence lawyer Kris Busietta continued cross-examining Dylan German, a friend of Scicluna and cousin of Fenech. German had previously testified about alleged conversations relating to the shooting.
The defence highlighted discrepancies between German's earlier police statements and his courtroom testimony, particularly regarding what he had said about his cousin during a recorded confrontation. German acknowledged having provided false information on that occasion.
German also spoke about his own arrest in connection with a separate drug investigation, initially suggesting that cooperating with police could have benefited his case, before clarifying that no definite promises had been made. The defence questioned his reliability and suggested he was acting to shield his cousin — an allegation German denied.
Victim remembered by former flatmates
Jurors also heard statements from Cisse's former flatmates, who described him as a peaceful, hardworking man who avoided confrontation. One recalled that Cisse had returned home from work on the afternoon of his death, showered and left the residence. He never came back.
Scicluna is represented by defence lawyers Edward Gatt, Kris Busietta and Alessandro Farrugia. The prosecution is led by Darlene Grima, Abigail Caruana Vella and Michaela Aquilina from the Attorney General's Office. Madam Justice Natasha Galea Sciberras is presiding over the jury.
Source: Times of Malta