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5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS KURT SANSONE AN eyewitness who saw Daphne Caruana Galizia's car explode has told the court of the horrific scene he saw on the day of the murder. Francis Sant, a Bidnija resident, was driving up the hill towards the hamlet at around 3pm on 16 October 2017 when he spotted Caruana Galizia's white car com- ing towards him. Sant testified in court yesterday as the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech continued. Fenech is accused of mastermind- ing the murder. Speaking in a soft voice, Sant recalled how Caruana Galizia's car suddenly slowed down and he sensed something was wrong. "The person inside the car ap- peared to be panicking. It made me afraid. I heard a small bang, like fireworks. Then I heard a piercing scream," Sant told the court. 'It was so cruel' He said that a second, much larger explosion happened a few seconds later and the car came to- wards him, past the wall and into the field. "I saw parts of her ripped off… It was terrible. Then I saw blood... I realised they were human parts. I could do nothing… It was so cru- el," Sant testified. He recalled how he then saw a young man, Daphne's son Mat- thew, come running down the hill with tears in his eyes. Sant had already testified in Feb- ruary 2018 in the compilation of evidence against the three men accused of executing the murder. His testimony today, followed that of Inspector Antoine Cilia from the police's Rapid Inter- vention Unit, who described the scene he found at Bidnija on the day of the murder. Cilia said the police received a call from an eyewitness who saw the explosion and reported seeing a person inside the car. At Bidnija, Cilia found "car parts and body parts scattered around". He confirmed that other officers were trying to calm down an argu- ment between Matthew Caruana Galizia and a man with the sur- name Vella. Cilia told the court that Caruana Galizia was upset because the man was taking photos. The other man was upset because his phone was broken. Cilia told the court he tried to calm Vella down, telling him Caruana Galizia had just lost his mother in the blast. Car roof ripped off The inspector recounted how he approached the car, which had its roof ripped off. A human figure could be seen in the driver's seat, badly burnt, he said. Cilia said a fire engine was about to drive over a car key, which he picked up. The key matched that of a Peugeot vehicle. The inspec- tor said he also sealed off the crime scene to avoid people from trespassing. Cilia said he prepared a four- page report on what he found at the crime scene and even took photos himself. The report was presented to magistrate [now judge] Anthony Vella, who even- tually carried out the magisterial inquiry into the murder. Responding to questions from the defence, Cilia said it was In- spector Kurt Zahra who told him to draw up the report and provide updates of the officers involved. Other police officers who were on duty on the day of the murder also testified, confirming evidence that has already been heard. A police officer said that he searched a van that exited an alley in the area of the blast. The officer was instructed by his superiors to take note of any vehicle that might leave the area. The van was driven by an elderly man and had farming tools inside it. The details of the vehicle and the driver were handed over to Cilia. Scuffle with Matthew Caruana Galizia Mario Vella, the man who got into an argument with Matthew Caruana Galizia, took the witness stand. Vella lives in Bidnija and told the court that he was in Mosta when the bomb went off. His daughter called him, fearing that something could have happened at their farm. The witness said he headed back home and found a burning car in Bidnija. Someone called Sant told him that people were trapped in- side the vehicle. Vella told the court that he called his siblings and told them to avoid the area. He then got into his car and asked police if he could leave. As he was about to leave, Vella said a young man (Matthew Caru- ana Galizia) came up to him and angrily accused him of taking pic- tures of his mother. The witness said police took the phone and told him there were no pictures. Vella said he gave the phone to Caruana Galizia to check it out for himself at which point he smashed it on the ground. "I don't blame him, he was an- gry," Vella testified, adding that it was at this point that he ap- proached Caruana Galizia and a scuffle broke out between the two. Asked by the magistrate point blank whether he took photos of the crime scene, Vella responded "no". He did not take the incident further. Testimony behind closed doors The last witness of the day was Inspector Kurt Zahra who tes- tified behind closed doors on a request for pardon made to the police by Fenech when he was in custody in November 2019. Pleading not guilty Daphne Caruana Galizia died in a car bomb explosion outside her home in Bidnija in October 2017. Three men - George Degiorgio, Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Mus- cat - are facing charges of having executed the crime in separate proceedings. All suspects are pleading not guilty. Courtroom players Magistrate Rachel Montebello is presiding. Superintendent Keith Arnaud and Inspector Kurt Zahra are prosecuting, aided by Deputy At- torney General Philip Galea Far- rugia. Fenech's defence lawyers are Marion Camilleri, Charles Mer- cieca and Gianluca Caruana Cur- ran. Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are ap- pearing parte civile for the Carua- na Galizia family. 'I heard a small bang, like fireworks... then I heard a piercing scream' Eyewitness who saw Daphne Caruana Galizia's car explode recounts his experience in court Daphne Caruana Galizia's burnt out car came to rest in a field after the explosion