Malta news: harassed partner days before killing her

The man accused of killing his former partner had a history of harassing her and twice forced his way into her car in the days before she was found dead, a court heard yesterday. Police inspector Keith Arnaud took the stand in the compilation of evidence against Nizar el Gadi, who is accused of the murder of lawyer Margaret Mifsud on 19 April this year. She was found dead in her car in Bahar ic-Caghaq. Inspector Arnaud described how Dr Mifsud was reported missing by her mother the morning after the victim had been out for a dinner with friends She had dropped off one of her friends at 11.30 p.m. Before leaving home Dr Mifsud had told her mother that she would switch off her mobile, so as not to let her former partner bother her, but she gave her mother a friend’s mobile phone number , just in case. The inspector said Mr el Gadi had intercepted Dr Mifsud on Monday and Tuesday of the week that she died. On the Monday he entered her car when she called to pick up their children. An argument ensued over the children and he left. On the following day he again entered her car when she called to pick up the children from ballet class. After pressure from the children, she agreed that they should all go out to a restaurant. The inspector said that forensic evidence showed that the accused lied to the police when he gave his statements. In statements given to the police, Mr el Gadi claimed that they had a happy relationship and everything was normal, when this was not the case. Emails sent by the victim to a friend in Canada showed a very different picture. She said that she had been living with the accused but they were living separate lives and that he was a violent man. She told her friend that no one could imagine what he did to her and what she had to put up with on a daily basis.  The inspector said mobile phone tracing showed that the accused followed the victim on the night that she died. The police established that on the fateful night the accused had rented a car.(independent.com.mt) in short, it is a matter of trivia to any item.