Time has come for careless pedestrians to be punished

The time has come for “senseless actions by pedestrians” to be punished by law, a court said as it reduced the sentence of a man found guilty of the involuntary homicide of a 10year-old from 32 months’ imprisonment to a suspended sentence.

Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, presiding over the Court of Criminal Appeal, confirmed Fatih Pancar’s criminal responsibility but reduced the punishment to a twoyear prison sentence, suspended for three years. The court also confirmed the man’s four-year driving ban and ordered the release of the accused’s Peugeot, which had been impounded for forensic testing

Ten-year-old Rodwan Aghil, a Libyan national, had been crossing the road in St Andrew’s on 30 May 30 2015 when he was hit by the Peugeot being driven by Fatih Pancar, 38, from St Paul’s Bay. Mr Pancar had been living in Malta for around 16 years at the time.

The judge agreed with the recommendations made by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, presiding over the first court, who had called upon the legislator to consider the introduction of ‘pedestrian offences’.

Pedestrians also had obligations, not just drivers, observed the judge.

“This court suggests that there ought to be sanctions upon those persons who choose to cross the road at a particular point, ignoring a pedestrian crossing or a safer spot along the road,” Scerri Herrera said.

It emerged from the evidence that the child had run out onto the busy road and into the path of oncoming traffic.

The court had heard witnesses testify to seeing the driver, who had driven through amber traffic lights at over 50km/hr, fall to his knees and scream upon realising that he had run over the boy, who was thrown into the air upon impact with the car. The child died about an hour later.

Lawyers Kris Busietta, Jason Azzopardi and Julian Farrugia were counsel to the appellant.