A police inspector told a trial by jury on Tuesday that Carmel Chircop was hit by four of the six bullets that were fired in his direction.

Inspector Jonathan Attard described compiling a report with Brigadier Calleja following a visit by ballistic experts to the garage where Chircop's body was discovered.

According to Attard, six shots were fired in total. Evidence showed that one bullet hole in the car door indicated a shot had been fired from outside the vehicle. Another bullet was recovered from the windscreen, lodged beneath the licence sticker.

Chircop was struck by four bullets in the back and chest. Attard stated that the shots were fired from a distance of approximately two metres.

The trial by jury of the four men charged with the murders of Daphne Caruana Galizia and Carmel Chircop continued on Tuesday before Madam Justice Edwina Grima.

The accused are 'Tal-Maksar' brothers, Robert and Adrian Agius, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio.

Vella and Robert Agius, Adrian's younger brother, are accused of complicity in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia by supplying the bomb that killed her in October 2017.

Adrian Agius is charged with commissioning the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop in 2015.

All four accused deny the charges against them and if found guilty, they face up to life in prison.

Inspector Paul Camilleri was the first to testify on Tuesday morning. At the time of the killing, Camilleri was a police sergeant assigned to the Forensic Unit.

He explained that the Birkirkara police station had received a report about a body found in a garage. His responsibilities included securing the crime scene, conducting preliminary examinations of the body, and photographing the autopsy at the morgue. Camilleri also collected the victim's clothing, nail clippings, and scrapings in the presence of court-appointed medical expert Mario Scerri. Jurors were shown the photographs taken during this process.

Taking the witness stand, Inspector Shawn Pawney explained that he became involved in the case in 2020 while assisting the homicide unit after Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu, began cooperating with police and providing information about the murder.

Pawney stated that arrest warrants had been issued for the Tal-Maksar brothers and Jamie Vella. The three suspects were apprehended by separate teams from the police homicide unit, with Pawney responsible for the arrest of Adrian Agius.

During a search of Agius's vehicle, police discovered a brown substance hidden in a compartment under the seat. The substance was identified as a mixture of paracetamol and caffeine, commonly used to cut cocaine and increase profits. Although the car was registered to a woman named Josephine Bugeja, investigators found no link between her and Agius.

Other items seized from the car included a black bag containing a Samsung mobile phone, €3,000 in cash, and various personal documents belonging to Agius.

Another police inspector also testified regarding Agius's arrest in Baħrija and the searches conducted on both his Seat vehicle and his residence. His testimony corroborated Pawney's account, adding that a Louis Vuitton bag, a Hugo Boss wallet, a laptop case, several documents, and a transparent plastic bag wrapped in brown tape were also found.

Inspector Lydon Zammit testified regarding his role in the arrest of Jamie Vella, stating he was part of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) during the investigations into the murders of Carmel Chircop and Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Recounting the events of the arrest, Inspector Zammit said officers conducted a comprehensive search of Vella's residence in Swieqi, which spanned three floors. Present at the property was Vella's then-girlfriend, Naomi Pace. A female officer was assigned to search her room.

The inspector noted that four vehicles - a Volvo, Citroën, Mercedes, and BMW - were located in the basement garage. Vella was identified by the inspector in the courtroom.

Under cross-examination, defence counsel Amadeus Cachia asked whether anything suspicious had been recovered during the search. Inspector Zammit replied that certain branded clothing items were found in Pace's room.

Cachia questioned the relevance of this finding, asking, "Since when is branded clothing considered suspicious?" The inspector conceded that nothing of evidentiary significance had been found during the operation.

Inspector Sherona Buhagiar also testified, stating she had been involved in the search of Pace's room. She reported finding two empty iPad boxes and an iPhone, but confirmed that no items of concern were discovered.

A police constable testified that during the search of Jamie Vella's residence, officers discovered a total of ten mobile phones - five located in the kitchen and another five found placed on various pieces of furniture throughout the home.

The constable further stated that, on Vella's person, police found a key to the Volvo parked at the property, along with €70 in cash. Keys to the remaining vehicles were discovered in the respective ignitions of each car.

Upon the officers' arrival, Vella informed them that he had tested positive for COVID-19, presenting a medical certificate to support his claim. Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Amadeus Cachia, the constable confirmed that Vella had fully cooperated with the police throughout the operation.

When asked by Cachia whether police had verified that the residence legally belonged to Vella, the constable admitted they had not.

Witness Inspector Kevin Curmi also provided details about the arrest of Robert Agius in connection with the murder of Carmel Chircop.

Agius was apprehended in Baħrija after police stopped his Mercedes and served him with copies of the warrants issued against him. He was found carrying €200 in cash. The police also recovered several mobile phones, SIM cards, and around 30 keys. Additionally, a paper bag containing €49,500 was discovered in his car.

A subsequent search of his residence uncovered more mobile phones, €25,180 in cash, various weapons and ammunition, and a printing machine allegedly used to produce counterfeit currency.

In his garage, police found an Audi, two Mercedes vehicles, a Mitsubishi, a black Honda motorcycle, a black Yamaha motorcycle, and a blue Honda motorcycle. All the vehicles were sealed, except for the Audi, which was under a separate order not to be sealed.

Another witness confirmed a weapon was found in a safe at  Robert Agius's residence. When asked by a defence lawyer if he was aware and could confitm that the weapon was registered to Agius' wife, the witness could not.