A police officer who testified in the case against Justin Chetcuti, who stands charged with shooting down a protected bird, recalled how the injured eagle landed right in front of the police Land Rover.
Testifying in court, the police officer who was on duty back in 2 November 2016, told magistrate Antonio Vella how he was called to the site where three eagles were seen flying close to the ground. He said that, on site, there were also Birdlife Malta volunteers.
“I remember watching the eagles flying past and in the distance, I could hear the shooting,” he told the court.
The officer had decided to inspect the area and look for the persons who were firing shots at the protected birds. As he watched the eagles fly, he heard more shots and noticed that one particular eagle lost balance and began gliding down towards the ground. He said that the eagle which appeared to have been shot, landed right next to the police Land Rover.
Immediately, a hunter who was on site, came out of hiding and started telling the police that it was not him who shot the bird. The police officer looked at the BirdLife volunteers who verified the man’s claim. “It wasn’t him, it was a man hiding there in the trees.” The volunteers told the police officer he could identify the man because he was not wearing a shirt.
The officer found the culprit and took away his gun. He recognised the 23-year-old man from Mosta in court.
In previous compilations, a BirdLife volunteer formed part of nine witnesses brought to testify in the case.The witnesses included five police officers and three BirdLife Malta volunteers.
The shooting had been caught on film by the BirdLife volunteers. The footage showed the eagle falling from the sky into a field. It also showed a topless man wearing shorts in possession of a shotgun.
The volunteer who took the footage said that the group were there because during the night booted and short-toed eagles were roosting in the area.
The case continues on 22 March. Inspector Pierguido Saliba is prosecuting. Lawyers Matthew Bondin and Maroushka Debono are the defence counsel.