An entire family saga led to a man being shot in the leg in Valletta last week.
Massimo Caruana, 35, of Valletta, is being charged with the attempted murder of his partner’s brother - Emmanuel Mifsud. He was also accused of being in possession of a weapon without a licence and threatening Alfred Mifsud, Emanuel’s father.
Alfred Mifsud, the father of the victim, wanted his Peugeot back from Anna Caruana, the mother of the accused, after the relationship between them was over.
In court, Alfred Mifsud said that at the time of the incident he was with his son Emanuel, who went to meet with the accused. Mr Caruana used to date his daughter and is the father of two of Mr Mifsud’s grandchildren. Alfred Mifsud also used to date the accused’s mother and for a while the entire family lived in one household.
In court today, the victim’s father insisted that he never had any problems with the accused, except for the argument about the Peugeot and about another car, a Subaru. He explained that on 16 June Massimo had called his son, Emanuel to meet up, and he accompanied him but remained in the car.
Suddenly, he heard a shot and saw that his son was shot in the leg. He turned to the accused and asked: ‘What have you done?’ to which Mr Caruana replied “I will blow your head off.”
The victim, Emanuel Mifsud, said that the arguments between family relatives had been ongoing and that once his father’s residence in Valletta was broken into. He claimed that Anna Caruana, the mother of the accused, was the only non-family member who had keys to the house.
He said that on the day of the incident, he had argued with the accused over a log book and when he approached him in Valletta, Mr Caruana had shouted “I will shoot you, I will shoot you.” He claimed that he tried to calm him down, but ended up being shot in the leg.
The defence lawyers requested bail however this was turned down by the court.
Inspector Daryl Borg and Kurt Zahra led the prosecution. Lawyer Charmain Cherret appeared for the accused.
The case continues on 13 July.