An eyewitness to the explosion which killed Daphne Caruana Galizia gave a court his account of events this morning.

Francis Sant, a resident of Bidnija said he was on the way to Manikata when he spotted a car coming slowly in the opposite direction. “First there was a bang...then there was a second one. It was enormous. The fireball reached the side of the road. After the first explosion it was like someone was on the brakes but after the second one it rolled past me.” The car rolled into a field where another explosion, possibly the petrol tank occurred, he said.

“I got out of the car to try and help, but then when I started to see human body parts in the road I realised I could do nothing. I tried to call the Mosta police station for help but couldn’t get through.”

A string of police witnesses testified to the horrific aftermath left by the blast.

A firefighter from the Civil Protection Department testified to how we was dispatched to deal with a suspected car bomb in Bidnija on 16 October 2017. “I noticed that there were traces that suggested the car came off the road and fell into the field.” There were emergency services already at the scene.

Another CPD officer, an assistant rescue officer told the court how he had assisted putting out the car. “The car was in a field, there were some body parts on the ground. There was a doctor and some AFM personnel at the scene. There was a body part some distance away from the car,” he said.

The local Station Officer said “I looked inside the car... between the seat and the passenger door there was what appeared to be human remains. The person was evidently not alive so I stood back and waited for the fire engine to arrive.”

Inspector James Grech CID was next to testify. He had been informed of the explosion and ten minutes later that the car was leased to Caruana Galizia. The scene had already been cordoned off when he arrived, he said. CPD and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel were there.

“There was a small car, unrecognizable, extensive damage,” he said. His job was to secure the crime scene until the arrival of the homicide squad inspectors and inquiring magistrate, explained Grech.

An EOD officer testified that the scene was “chaos” There was a bit of panic, everyone with their mobiles. He searched the area for other devices but found nothing. He then cordoned off the area.

A Criminal Investigations Department officer told the court about his role in the raid on the infamous potato shed in Marsa which resulted in the arrest of the three men. He identified the accused in the courtroom as the men arrested.

The large scale raid on the Marsa property roped in police officers from the Economic Crimes Unit and Vice squad.

Police had searched Degiorgio’s residence in St. Paul’s Bay together with officers from EOD, dog section and ALfred Degiorgio himself. EOD and dogs had ensured there were no explosive devices, after which the scene of crime officers went in. A Europol expert assisted the forensic officers. Electronic devices, top up vouchers and black paint were collected from the scene.

Martin Fenech asked if he had seen a warrant in potato shed. He had been driving and hadn’t seen the warrant, he said.

Did he have a search warrant for the St Paul’s bay property, asked the lawyer.

He had been shown it but it wa not in his hands at the time of the raid, he said.

Was it shown to Degiorgio, “a citizen with rights like everyone else?” Fenech asked.

The officer could not confirm - it had not been shown in his presence and he was unable to say whether it had been shown to the accused in the potato shed as he had not been there.

The warrant was handed out by inspector Arnaud at around 4am before a briefing on the raid, it emerged.

A number of other police witnesses testified about the raid and Fenech asked all of them about the search warrant. The defence has an interest in attacking the warrant - if successful, this could lead to the disqualification of all the evidence collected in the Marsa raid.

Architect Richard Aquilina exhibited his report on the scene and the list of items found in the potato shed. He confirmed that the scene had been secured from all entrances.

A director of Percius car hire explained the leasing process. He was unable to say whether it was possible to copy a key, but confirmed that the one in evidence had been the spare key to the vehicle.

Police Inspectors Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra are prosecuting.

Lawyers Jason Azzopardi u Therese Commodini Cachia are parte civile for the Caruana Galizia family.

George Degiorgio, Ic-Ciniz, is represented by legal aid lawyer Josette Sultana; Alfred Degiorgio, il-Fulu, is represented by privately engaged lawyers, Martha Mifsud and William Cuschieri; Vince Muscat, il-Kohhu, is represented by legal aid lawyer Martin Fenech.

Lawyers Elaine Mercieca Rizzo and Nadia Attard from the office of the Attorney General were also present.

The case continues on 26 March