Police investigations into the murder of a 78-year-old woman, whose lifeless body was found in a well in Gozo, led them to an Egyptian man who admitted that he had stolen from her residence a few months before the murder, a court heard yesterday.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera was hearing the evidence of police inspectors in the compilation of evidence against Ibrahim El Digwi, 40, residing in Xaghra, who is pleading not guilty to stealing from the residence of Maria Attard on June 14, 2001.

Police Inspectors Chris Pullicino and Antonello Grech declared in court they had both received confidential information that the accused was involved in the murder of Ms Attard which occurred in February 2002.

The woman had been found dead in a well in a field at the back of her residence. It was due to this information that a warrant of arrest was issued against the accused,

During the police investigations the accused denied his involvement in the murder but admitted that, together with another person, he had broken into Ms Attard's house.

He said that since they did not find anything worthwhile to steal, there was no need for them to break into her house a second time.

Inspector Grech explained that while being interrogated by the police the accused had explained how he had gained access to the house of the victim "the first time". It was at this stage that police insisted with the accused to explain when was the "second time" he had been in the house of the victim.

The accused also gave the police several details about the interior of the house.

Inspector Pullicino explained that the accused had also described how he and the other person involved had forced open the door of the room on the second floor by means of a tool they had found in the house.

Later this tool was found on the scene of the crime by the police.

The theft in question had been reported by Ms Attard way back in June 2001 when she had returned home to find that she could not open her front door. On that occasion she had found several gold items and some money missing from her residence.