Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/739617
MATTHEW AGIUS MR Justice Antonio Mizzi yes- terday presided the jury of man accused of murdering an Italian businessman 23 years ago. The court has imposed a ban on the publication of the name of the accused, due to the fact that the robber, a Cospicua man who is currently in jail, had been a minor at the time. The murder of Vittorio Cas- sone took place January 1993 at an Italian-themed restaurant in St Julian's, the Buongustaio Chef Italy. Cassone, who was 58 years old at the time, had been serving pa- trons when a masked man got out of a van that pulled up out- side the restaurant and rushed into the restaurant. Despite hav- ing handed over some Lm150 (€350), Cassone was shot in the chest by the escaping robber and died at the scene. The crime took place in 1993, but police at the time had felt that there was insufficient evi- dence to press charges, assis- tant commissioner Silvio Val- letta told the six female and five male jurors. In 2003 Inspector Chris Pullicino had reopened the investigation. "This time, in 2003, he had said he was 100% convinced that the accused was responsible for the crime." This afternoon, former As- sistant Commissioner of Police Emmanuel Cassar, who had been an inspector at the time of the investigation in question, took to the witness stand, recount- ing the robbery where a female shopper had given the robber her handbag, but the victim, Cas- sone, was f lustered and was un- able to open the till. He was shot, collapsing behind the counter. The robber had been wearing a pair of nylon tights over his face and a black jacket, the witness said. The woman's purse was sub- sequently recovered, money, ID cards still inside. Lm150 had been in the cash register but these were not found. The ac- cused, who had been on the run from prison at the time, having escaped with a group of other inmates, had turned himself in at the police depot but had cho- sen not to answer questions. He had been on the run for several weeks, the witness recalled. In 1993 Cassar decided to question the four witnesses, the female customer and three em- ployees, in separate offices. Ju- rors were shown photos of sev- eral identification parades that had taken place at the time, in the presence of inquiring mag- istrate Carol Peralta. During the compilation of evidence, inspec- tor Chris Pullicino had exhibited the ID parade photos of a num- ber of people whom he had ques- tioned. The murder weapon was not found at the time. The accused, then 17 years old, had declined to answer the police's questions or sign the statement prepared for him. The judge explained that this choice was his right and "neutral" – no inferences could be drawn from this choice. Emmanuel Cassar will contin- ue his testimony tomorrow. Law yers Kevin Valletta and Anne Marie Cutajar from the of- fice of the Attorney General are prosecuting. Law yers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri are defence counsel. News maltatoday, TUESDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2016 MALTA BUDGET 2017 As a leading firm in Malta offering corporate and private client advisory, audit, accounting and tax services, we invite you to visit our website for more updates on the 2017 Malta Budget. 00 356 2163 7778 www.nexiabt.com info@nexiabt.com Find us on: Contact us: Trial by jury of 1993 'Chef d'Italy' murder, begins Man seriously injured in construction fall A Romanian worker was se- riously injured this morning after falling one storey while working on a construction site in Vittoriosa, the police said. The accident happened in Parish Centenary Street at 9:20am. An ambulance conveyed the 25-year-old man to hospital in order to receive treatment. Duty magistrate C Farru- gia opened an inquiry into the case.