A 28-year-old Syrian was jailed for 28 years after pleading guilty, just before he was due to stand trial yesterday morning, to killing a friend.

The case goes back to July 2007 when Ibrahim Alhmou killed fellow Syrian Ebdou Ismael Abdod by dealing several blows to his head with a mallet, in Selmun, following an argument over money. Alhmou then pushed the van belonging to the victim, in which he was lying, off a cliff.

The Syrian had been found dead by two German tourists.

In April 2007, the victim had lent Alhmou some €1,165. On 29 July that year, he again called Abdod asking to meet him at Msida with the pretext that he wanted to discuss a job in Naxxar. They met at around 10pm and Alhmou explained he needed €465 to pay the rent of his flat. Abdod did not comply and the argument ensued.

Alhmou left the vehicle they were in, telling Abdod to wait for him. He then went to his flat and returned in his cousin’s car. On his return, Abdod started his van and sped off with Alhmou following him. At Selmun, the victim stopped his van at the edge of a cliff facing the sea and Alhmou parked beside it.

The two got out of the vehicles and the argument continued, with Alhmou landing several blows with a mallet he found in the car – the Syrians were tile layers. The victim fell to the ground and Alhmou dragged him to his van. He dealt him more blows then released the hand brake, put the vehicle in neutral and pushed it off the cliff.

Alhmou realised he did not have the mallet and went down the cliff searching for it, to no avail. On his way back, he threw away the sim card and battery from Abdod’s phone. He drove to Qajjenza, washed the blood from the car and threw away his mobile phone and what was left of the victim’s. He drove back to Msida and threw away his t-shirt, which was stained with blood. Back home, he washed his shorts and left them to dry in the balcony before going to bed.

Ebdou Ismael Abdod had died of a fractured skull and a haemorrhage, the autopsy revealed.

Dr Aaron Bugeja from the Attorney General’s office led the prosecution; Dr Arthur Azzopardi appeared for Alhmou.