Most shocking incidents of 2015
A number of incidents shocked the nation over the last year, from the totally out of the blue, to situations that could have been avoided.
Two particular events stood out as the most horrifying incidents this past year. The first, and perhaps most shocking, was the Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina crash back in October.
A white Porsche 918 supercar taking part in the charity motorshow skidded and lost control, crashing through the barriers and ending up in the crowd. Twenty-six people suffered injuries, with some being in a critical condition. Two of those were a six-year-old girl and her mother.
The incident had police and medical professionals scramble to deal with the national disaster. The car was owned by Paul Bailey who, in an article in The Telegraph, was reported last January to have beaten the world’s wealthiest car collectors by becoming the first person to own the £3 million ‘Holy Trinity’ of hypercars: the Porsche he was driving at the time of the accident, a McLaren P1 and a Ferrari LaFerrari.
Mr Bailey was taken to court but not arraigned. An inquiry was launched.
Mater Dei Hospital declared a ‘Major Incident Alert’ and doctors and nurses who were off duty joined the complement of staff treating the injured. The accident occurred at around 2pm and 11 ambulances were on scene. A helicopter was also deployed to the area to airlift some of the injured to hospital.
The whole event sparked a debate about safety measures at such events, considering the crowd was standing right on the side, behind plastic barriers, of the track. Better planning on the part of the organisers could have prevented the accident.
The Plus One collapse
Another major accident saw the collapse of a handrail in one club in Paceville.
The incident took place at the Plus One nightclub, and resulted in 74 injuries, with two in critical condition.
Allegedly, a teenager introduced some form of gas into the club’s ventilation system, causing a panic. The revellers rushed for the main exit, causing a few to trip over. A large number of people were stuck on the stairs when the banister collapsed, with many people falling over the side. A magisterial inquiry is underway in which hundreds of people are being interviewed.
Some of the other most shocking incidents include the two deaths inside the police lock-up, abductions in Libya and a stabbing frenzy.
Deaths in lock-up
The police also came under scrutiny when two people held under arrest were found dead in the Floriana lock-up in separate incidents.
The first occurred in October, when a man was found dead in a cell with a bed sheet tied around his neck; the police said that attempts to resuscitate him failed. The man, 39-year-old Martin Fenech from Żejtun, was to be arraigned on drugs-related charges.
The second case occurred recently, where a German national was found dead in a cell. Police suspect the man had committed suicide, and a magisterial inquiry was called. In both cases, the police did not carry out their own internal investigations, but rather offered help to the magistrate instead, in order to ensure transparency.
There are no CCTV cameras in cells for inmates’ personal privacy, Police Commissioner Michael Cassar had said, adding that there are cameras in the corridors. However, he did say recently that he is seriously considering installing them in the cells.
Paceville stabbing frenzy
Libyan national Ehab Zorgani, 22, from Tripoli, was charged with the attempted murder of Hadji Salah and Antoon van der Heide, seriously injuring them, and also grievously injuring Ali Mihannad Fadlalla, Brian Jan Bos, De Roo Neik and Richard Galea. He assaulted the men on a night out in Paceville with a knife.
He was also charged with carrying a knife and breaching the peace. This particular situation brought into question the police presence, or its lack, in Paceville.
Mr Zorgani, a refugee who lives in Zebbug, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Maltese abducted in Libya
Abductions of Maltese nationals also occurred in Libya, despite several government warnings that Maltese should not travel to the country.
Noel Sciberras was abducted for 47 days. The captors had originally demanded a $5 million ransom for his release, according to the Radda militia, the Tripoli special forces responsible for his rescue. Mr Sciberras worked for Maltese company CT Park Ltd, which operates a car park in Tripoli.
Pierre Baldacchino was another Maltese national abducted in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. He was also released by the same group that had rescued Noel Sciberras. He was being kept in Ghajn Zahra, and the Rada (Deterrence) Force invaded the area where Mr Baldacchino was being held and rescued him.
This newsroom had reported that a €5 million ransom had been demanded by the kidnappers, a fee confirmed in a video uploaded after Mr Baldacchino’s release. No money was paid for his release, sources said.
Mr Baldacchino works for the St James Hospital Group in Libya.
The lucky glide
A British brother and sister had a more than lucky escape when their rope snapped while parasailing. A storm had quickly moved in, increasing wind speeds drastically. The two flew over Mellieha’s Ghadira beach and landed in a field on the other side of the road.
Neither of them had any parasailing experience prior to the incident. Once they landed, the chute dragged them across the field, and could have again taken flight. Luckily, three local heroes jumped onto the parachute, pinning it to the floor and unhooked the siblings, possibly saving their lives.