Witnesses today testified about additional drugs charges made against underage driver Liam Debono, who is accused of the attempted murder of a policeman whom he ran over earlier this year.

Two crushers and other drugs paraphernalia, along with three bags of cannabis grass were found in the accused’s possession, experts told magistrate Joe Mifsud.

Inspector Spiridione Zammit testified that Debono had been driving a Maruti jeep with an expired licence and insurance and a different car’s licence plates. He had been spotted throwing away a joint. Three bags of cannabis grass, which Debono had declared were his property, were found in the car. The driver had been accompanied by others.

Cross-examined by defence lawyer Franco Debono, the inspector explained that this took place on 30 October 2017, months before the incident in which he had nearly killed PC Simon Schembri by dragging him under his car.

“We had been waiting for the consent of the AG [to prosecute]…but we hadn’t issued the charges,” explained the Inspector as Debono protested that the charges had been pressed three months after the police had charged him with the attempted murder.

The defence is arguing that the charges have nothing to do with the Schembri charges and that there was no reason to add them to the case.

A police sergeant testified that he had spotted a Maruti being driven by what appeared to be a minor. He had radioed in the car’s number plate and was told that it did not belong to a Maruti but to an Opel. The car was stopped and Liam Debono was found behind the wheel. He had no licence or insurance on him at the time, said the sergeant, who had then searched the accused and seized a number of suspicious items.

The case continues on October 29.