July: Young mother murdered

1 July

University academic Clare Vassallo resigned from the National Council of Women following the group’s conservative stance against the morning after pill, communicated earlier through a statement. “I have no desire to be associated with a group that prefers to back heavily conservative anti-women institutions,” she wrote.

3 July

Health Minister Chris Fearne reveals to The Malta Independent on

Sunday plans for a new acute 150bed mental health hospital as well as an extensive renovation project for Mount Carmel Hospital.

4 July

The police launched a manhunt for Andrew Mangion, suspected of killing his estranged wife, Eleanor Mangion Walker. The woman’s body was found under some wooden pallets in a Qormi warehouse. The mother of one, 33, died of head injuries due to blunt force trauma. He turned himself in the following day.

6 July

The National Audit Office flagged “unwarranted interventions’ by former Minister for Local Government Chris Said. The Auditor General’s report said Said interventions “impinged’ on the independence of Evaluation Committees and the Department for Local Government in the adjudication and issuing of funds for road surfacing projects, but said his intentions were good.

7 July

The two Italian pilots who landed in Xlendi on a light-aircraft the previous month – crashing the aircraft - were released from custody on Tuesday and returned to Italy under the condition that they must return to Malta in case they are needed by the police to further investigations.

8 July

The President of Alitalia, which is still in negotiations with Air Malta on a possible strategic partnership, said the Italian airline is losing €500,000 a day but aims to reach breakeven point in 2017.

A 62-year-old Slovak man drowned in Mellieħa Bay. The man was given first aid by members of the Malta Red Cross, who were on site within minutes, but died later in hospital.

11 July

A cabbie who was filmed whipping his horse after the animal slipped on the tarmac in San Ġwann was cleared of animal cruelty. A court found that the mare had no sign of violence or abuse and was in excellent health. The cabbie had been arrested after mobile phone footage of the incident, which took place in April, went viral on the social media.

13 July

Andrew Mangion pleaded not guilty to murdering Eleanor Mangion Walker.

MCST Chairman Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando filed a judicial protest calling on the government and Internet Service Providers to “put an end to annoyance blogs.”

15 July

A toddler with Down syndrome became the first child in Malta to be adopted by a gay couple. Ben was adopted after the Family Court officially gave the go-ahead for adoption by two men. While the Civil Union law, which came

into force in 2015, awards gay couples the same rights and privileges as a married couple – including the right to adopt.

18 July

Three men were charged with engaging in paid sexual activity with underage boys. The men were also accused of distributing and showing underage pornographic material and of inducing persons under age to prostitution. The victims’ ages varied from 15 to 17 years. Another two men were later charged in connection with the same case.

19 July

17-year-old girl Tara Licari died in an early morning car accident in Kappara. The incident took place at 5am when a Toyota Vitz driven by a 23-year-old of Balzan in the direction of Sliema crashed into a wall and later into another vehicle.

22 July

The Marsascala Local Council wrote to the Planning Authority calling for the demolition of what remains of the former Jerma Palace Hotel. It said that the long-abandoned building is a danger and an inconvenience to the public. The hotel closed down in March 2007.

24 July

The Malta Independent on Sunday revealed how Maltese IRC (Internet Relay Chat) chat rooms have been inundated by paedophiles who post links to child pornographic chat rooms where pornographic photographs of young girls, some as young as toddlers, engaging in various forms of sexual activity are exchanged. A man who reported the activity to chat room administrators was allegedly told to not interfere.

26 July

The parents of Mike Mansholt confirmed that a corpse discovered in a crevice at Dingli Cliffs was that of their teenage son, who had gone missing a week earlier. The corpse was discovered a few metres below a bicycle by members of the Civil Protection Department while a search was under way for the missing teen. The police said the decomposing body was found 10 storeys below the top of the cliff close to the St Mary Magdalene Chapel.

27 July

The police confirmed that a body found at sea near Ramla l-Ħamra on 20 July was that of a Hungarian teenager who had been lost at sea few days before. Seventeen-yearold Bence Murinai, who was in Malta on holiday with his family, went missing on 17 July when he went for an evening swim in rough weather in Marsalforn.

30 July

A huge fireworks explosion in Marsaxlokk injured four men. The incident occurred during the celebration of the feast of the Madonna of Pompei. Several petards went off in a huge bang and a flash of colour and light not far from the Delimara power station.

The Health Ministry and the Church condemned the desecration of copies of the Koran at Mater Dei Hospital. Slices of bacon were placed inside copies of the Koran at the Hospital’s multifaith prayer room. A printout featuring a photograph of Father Jacques Hamel, a priest who was killed by Islamic State terrorists in France that same week, was also left on the book.