[WATCH]:Accused followed victim, hired car night she died

Inspector Keith Arnaud gave evidence in court on Wednesday,  in the compilation of evidence against Nizar el Gadi, her former partner, who is accused of the murder of lawyer Margaret Mifsud.

In over three hours of testimony before Magistrate Saviour Demicoli, Police Inspector Keith Arnaud gave a detailed account of a complicated and elaborate murder investigation, which took almost three months to be concluded.

Phone records showed that the accused was following the victim and he even hired a car on that fateful day.

A pathology report which followed an autopsy, confirmed that Mifsud was killed by traumatic asphyxia, where the victim was subjected to severe pressure to the chest. Inspector Arnaud added that from initial on-site investigations it was clear that she had been murdered given that she was found with blood oozing from her nose and mouth.

The police charged 34 year old Nizar Mustafa Al-Gadi on 29 July 2012, with the murder of Dr Margaret Mifsud that took place between 18 and 19 April 2012, with stealing her mobile phone, breaking the conditions imposed on him by a suspended sentence and of being a recidivist.

He pleaded not guilty and was not granted bail.

The dead body of 31 year old lawyer Margaret Mifsud was found in her car on Thursday afternoon 19 April 2012 at Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. Most of the police investigations were concentrated on her Libyan former partner with whom she had a turbulent relationship. 

Last month he was charged with illegally holding her against her will, slightly injuring her and threatening her on 24 March 2012. She used to be afraid of him and insisted of being escorted when she took their two children to see him at San Anton Gardens. 

He had told the police that in the night and early morning when she might have died, he was in Paceville all the time but the police have enough evidence that shows that he was in the north of Malta, in the same area where Margaret spent her last hours – first at Xemxija Bay and then later on at Bahar ic-Caghaq where she was found dead.

Despite being questioned for long hours by the police over the death of 31 year old lawyer the Libyan former partner had refused to admit that he was responsible for her death. The shoes he was wearing when she was discovered dead cannot be found. Even her handbag and mobile had gone missing.A month before young lawyer Margaret Mifsud was found dead in her car at Bahar ic-Caghaq she had reported her former partner to the police for trying to strangle her with a string.

Nizar Mustafa Al-Gadi  was charged in court with hurting her slightly in an argument they had between them, with holding her against her will and with threatening to kill her.

The lawyer had reported her former partner on 24 March 2012, 27 days before she was found dead.

The police told the court that she had gone to the Birkirkara Police Station with her two children and she was terrified. She told them that she lived with her partner although their relationship had broken down. She told the police that he had threatened to kill her and she had signs of violence on her neck.