Darren Debono admits to Attard hold-up

Debono, 36 from Marsascala who also stands charged with the attempted heist on the HSBC Bank headquarters in Qormi last June, where he was allegedly injured with a bullet to his jaw fired from a policeman’s gun who returned fire, entered court today in a wheelchair escorted by a paramedic and prison guards.

He was injured in his right leg by shotgun pellets fired from a gun that fell out of his hand in a tussle that ensued with the jeweller’s son on November 30.

Debono was seriously injured to his leg and was left lying on the ground in pain and was arrested by the police.

Another accomplice, Fabio Psaila was last week charged with complicity in the same heist and was also injured with 55 pellets from the shotgun that was fired back at them as they tried to flee the scene when things started to go wrong.

Darren Debono who engaged in the hold-up at a time when he was controversially granted bail for the HSBC robbery, also admitted to having assaulted the jeweller as he entered his home, and hit him on the head with a car jack.

He denied however to having stolen a car, forged identity documents, criminal association and of violating the conditions of a previous court judgement against him.

According to evidence given in court by a police constable who had led investigators to solve a string of armed robberies, it was alleged that Darren Debono and Fabio Psaila formed part of a criminal organisation that was run by lawyer and former police inspector David Gatt who is currently being held at Corradino prisons.