A woman who was allegedly shot by her policeman husband was more worried about her children than about her own safety, jurors heard today.
A number of witnesses said Maria Cutajar, whose estranged husband Carmelo is facing a trial by jury for attempted murder, was afraid the accused would go after their children after shooting her in the chest.
Retired police constable Carmel Cutajar, 50, of Rabat, denies attempted murder, seriously injuring Mrs Cutajar, carrying an unlicensed firearm and committing a crime he was duty bound to prevent. The incident took place in Rabat on 26 September 2012. The couple – who were undergoing separation proceedings – argued on the Saqqajja steps before Mr Cutajar allegedly shot her in the chest before shooting himself in the torso. He then turned himself in at the Rabat police station.
A number of medical experts who had treated Mrs Cutajar gave details about her wound. Accident and Emergency Department consultant Konrad Borg said the bullet had penetrated skin and ribcage and stopped just outside her heart.
Another witness, Dr Josef Mifsud, said the woman did not have an exit wound and the bullet was close to the heart. He had classified her as critical because of the chest penetration and the proximity of the bullet to the heart.
A&E consultant Jonathan Joslin said that, in the case of the accused, the wound was more of an impact point rather than an entry wound. The bullet hit a rib and did not have enough force to penetrate.
With regard to the victim, Dr Joslin said it was normal practice to declare patients as being in danger of loss of life when there where penetrating chest wounds.
Cross examined by defence lawyer Mark Vassallo, Dr Joslin said this was done because chest wounds were potentially fatal and the extent of the damage would not be known until the patient is operated on.
"When someone is admitted to A&E with a bullet wound in the chest they are initially classified as being in danger of possible loss of life, because there is always the possibility of deterioration. We would need to see whether there is internal bleeding or other complications."
After surgery was carried out, it turned out that Maria Cutajar's condition was not critical, he said.
Earlier, ambulance nurse Rita Schembri recounted how the victim was screaming in pain, saying that her husband had shot her. "She was afraid that he would go after the children."
Bar owner Connie Xuereb said she heard a woman screaming and two shots and went outside. She said she was a man chasing a woman while holding something in one of his hands. "I went inside because I thought they were filming a movie."
Mark Chandler, a former general manager of the Point-de-Vue guesthouse, said the victim was screaming and crying on a sofa in the reception area. The woman was shouting 'he shot me, he shot me. My husband shot me.'
His brother, Adrian Chandler, administered first aid. "She was more worried about the children than herself," he said, although admitting he did not speak Maltese.
A former colleague of Mrs Cutajar's said they were taking out the trash bags when Maria suddenly disappeared. "She came back a few minutes later, screaming that her husband had shot her. She was bleeding profusely. Earlier she had seemed scared when she spotted her husband waiting on the opposite side of the road." She said she and Maria did not speak much but the victim was 'shattered' because of what she was going through with her husband.
In the afternoon jurors were shown CCTV footage showing the accused running after his wife pointing a pistol at hear back.
Interestingly, a man who was drinking outside a bar in Saqqajja did not seem at all perturbed by the scene taking place right in front of his eyes and is shown in the footage calmly pouring a beer and taking a sip despite an alleged attempted murder taking place not more than two metres away.
The star witness in the case, Maria Cutajar, is expected to testify today. Jurors will then be taken to the scene of the crime.
Lawyers Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo are appearing for Mr Cutajar. Lawyers Giannella Busuttil and Anthony Vella from the Attorney General's Office are prosecuting. Madame Justice Edwina Grima is presiding over the trial.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/1QX6ih9
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment