The jury trial of Lorin Scicluna, accused of the racially motivated murder of Lassana Cisse, continues today.

The former soldier is charged with shooting Cisse, from the Ivory Coast, in the head as he walked home on a country road in April 2019 and attempting to murder three other migrants. 

He is pleading not guilty. 

10:51 Following the playback, the cross-examination resumes:

Kris Busietta: Do you remember now that this confrontation took place in May?

Dylan German: Yes, because I've just seen it.

KB: In that discussion, during the confrontation, you stated that it was Francesco Fenech who told you after April 6 what he did and didn't do at Triq il-Ġebel.

DG: No. I can tell you now that I was lying at the time.

KB: Even now, you're lying to protect your cousin.

DG: That's not true.

10:47 Defence lawyer Kris Busietta asks Dylan German if he recalls a police-supervised confrontation between himself and his cousin. German replies that he does not fully remember, though he acknowledges that he lied and made things up during it.

The defence requests the court to play a video recording of the confrontation between German and Francesco Fenech.

10:43 Defence lawyer Kris Busietta reads out further previous testimony in which German admitted telling his cousin, "Nidħnek [I will destroy you]" if he associated with certain individuals.

"I don't even remember sending this message, let alone why," German tells the court.

He explains that he was in a state of shock and fear after being arrested in connection with a murder investigation. "This was a case of murder, not stolen cigarettes," he says.

10.31 Defence lawyer Kris Busietta asks Dylan German who arrested and investigated him.

German replies that he does not know, but claims officials promised him that if he cooperated, his own criminal case "could be dropped or done with quicker."

"I was promised a lot of things," he says.

German admits he initially lied about his cousin in hopes of receiving lenient treatment in his own pending cases. He adds that he was using drugs at the time, so his mind was not clear.

However, German then walks back his statement, clarifying that he was not explicitly promised anything, but was merely told that cooperating might help and could be positive for his own case.

10:25 The witness states that he confronted his cousin, Francesco Fenech, with what he knew, and "Francesco started crying and saying it's not true."

Asked where this confrontation took place, German says he is unsure whether it happened in the garage or in the street. He thinks he may have called or texted his cousin, but cannot remember precisely.

10:15 Defence lawyer Kris Busietta questions Dylan German regarding his initial meeting with Lorin Scicluna on April 20-a date German brought up in yesterday's testimony, several weeks after the murder.

German confirms that he was inside his garage that evening while Scicluna was outside further down the road, and notes that he and Francesco Fenech lived on the same street in Marsaxlokk/Marsaskala.

When asked whether Fenech was with Scicluna on that occasion, German states he cannot remember.

Busietta then confronts him with testimony he provided roughly three months after the events. At the time, German had informed Inspector Keith Arnaud that he met Scicluna following a fuel mix-up involving diesel and petrol, and that Fenech assisted in draining the tank.

The defence highlights that his original statement explicitly placed Fenech alongside Scicluna that day.

German replies that while he remembers another individual being present, he cannot recall who it was.

10:05 Yesterday, the court heard testimony from Dylan German, a friend of Lorin Scicluna and a cousin of Francesco Fenech.

He described Scicluna as racist and claimed that Scicluna confessed everything about the murder to him. German also testified that Scicluna wanted to destroy his pistol three days prior to his arrest.

Today, German faces cross-examination by the defence.

09:55 The judge and jury have temporarily left the courtroom while technical staff test an audio clip.

09:45 Next to take the stand is a court-appointed technical expert, who was tasked by the inquiring magistrate with surveying the Triq il-Ġebel crime scene and mapping all evidence found there. His report details the position of the victim's body, stone debris, and spent gun cartridges.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Kris Busietta regarding the exact distances between individual cartridges, the expert states that all precise measurements are documented in his report

09:40 A juror asks the witness whether he knew Francesco Fenech personally. He replies that he met Fenech while serving as a gunner in C-Company, but had no contact with him after completing his training.

When asked if Fenech ever made racist comments in his presence, the witness confirms he never heard any.

The juror then asks if he knew Lorin Scicluna. The witness states he knew Scicluna through kickboxing, but not through the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM).

Another juror inquires whether he had ever seen Fenech and Scicluna together. The witness clarifies that he only saw them together in court during the compilation of evidence, and never outside of court.

His testimony concludes here.

09:36 An army officer takes the stand to testify regarding Francesco Fenech. Fenech, an AFM soldier accused alongside Lorin Scicluna of murdering Lassana Cisse, is being tried separately.

The witness confirms that Fenech was suspended from the AFM in May 2019, one month after the murder, with his final working day being May 14.

The witness notes that while he recalls most details clearly, specific dates are slightly less vivid.

Under cross-examination, the witness states he has served with Charlie Company since 2014, participating in local threat response as well as overseas Frontex operations. He adds that Fenech was already suspended by the time he joined that specific company.