Two pairs of gloves stained by blood were discovered by the police under the passenger seat of a van used Andrew Mangion, who is accused of murdering his estranged wife Eleanor Mangion Walker, a court heard.

Testifying during the compilation of evidence, prosecuting officer Inspector Keith Arnaud said the gloves also contained traces of male DNA which did not belong to the accused.

Mangion is accused of murdering Ms Mangion Walker at his Swieqi garage in July and then dumping the body at a Qormi warehouse.

A mobile phone belonging to the victim and a small calibre bullet were also found in the car.  

Forensic experts also discovered substance suspected to be cannabis inside the Swieqi garage, along with a number of other empty sachets normally used to traffic drugs.

Beverly Walker, the victim’s younger sister, told the court that her sister and Mr Mangion used to have “really big arguments” but Ms Mangion Walker rarely spoke about this with her relatives.

Their relationship had improved in the past two years. Ms Walker said that she last saw her sister on the Tuesday before she was found dead in the warehouse, and had last spoken to her via text messages the following Friday.

She testified that on the day before her sister’s body was found, she met the accused outside their flat. She recounted that unlike previous occasions when she had met Mr Mangion outside the flats, the accused did not offer to help her and her mother carry the grocery bags inside.

When asked by Inspector Arnaud about the relationship between the accused and the victim, Ms Walker said that some four years ago, Mr Mangion had accused his wife of cheating on him. He had confronted her and asked her for her sister’s e-mail password, which she gave him.

Her sister had also told her about concerns that Mr Mangion was dealing drugs. While she had never seen any drug-related activity at her sister’s flat, one of her brothers had pointed out that there had on occasion been people coming and going.

Ms Mangion Walker had approached the police about this, Ms Walker said, but investigations led to nowhere. Ms Mangion Walker then confronted her husband about this who insisted the drug dealing had stopped.

Mr Mangion’s neighbours Anna Maria and Leslie Bajada also testified. 

Ms Bajada said that a week before Ms Mangion Walker’s body was found, she and her husband invited the accused to go on a boat trip with them.

Mr Mangion had accepted the invitation and said he would be asking Ms Mangion Walker whether he could take their daughter with him, since the nine-year-old was supposed to spend the day with her mother.

On Wednesday, Ms Bajada had again asked Mr Mangion about the boat trip and this time round Mr Mangion had said that he might not have made it as he had to transport some pallets from his warehouse in Qormi.

The day before the trip, on Saturday, Mr Mangion took his daughter to his neighbours’ house at around 7.30pm and picked her up some time later. The next day, Mr Mangion dropped his daughter off to play with her friend at around 9.30am and when the family told him they were going ahead with the boat trip, he went to get her daughter’s bathing suit. 

At around 1.30pm the family, along with Mr Mangion’s daughter went to Salina. While on the boat, Ms Bajada said she sent the accused messages and photos to show him what his daughter had been up to.

They then returned home later that day and Mr Mangion picked up his daughter at around 8.15pm and according to Ms Bajada, he was smartly dressed in a polo shirt and trousers and told them that he would be heading out to his field.  

The compilation of evidence continues on September 26.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke presided over the case. Inspectors Kylie Borg and Keith Arnaud are leading the prosecution with lawyers Michael and Lucio Sciriha appearing as parte civile for the deceased’s successors. The accused’s defence counsel is led by Joe Giglio.