Cleared of injuring tourist

A St Julian's man was yesterday cleared of running over a French tourist and seriously injuring her in Valletta.

Mario Joseph Borg, 39, was acquitted of injuring 45-year-old Sylvie Kristin Masson in St Paul Street on April 5 at about midday.

Magistrate Saviour Demicoli heard Masson explain that she was walking up the street but since her leg was hurting she walked on the flat part of the pavement, between the steps and the road.

As she was walking she felt something hit her from behind, fell to the ground, her right leg bent sideways and a car drove over her foot. She added that when she looked back she saw a white car.

Magistrate Demicoli heard Borg explain that as he was driving down St Paul Street he suddenly heard a sound followed by a woman's cry. He stopped his car and saw a group of people on the pavement on his right so he kept on driving.

But as he was driving he looked through the rear-view mirror and saw a woman lying in the road and he stopped and called an ambulance.

Borg also explained that on the day of the incident he was accompanied in the car by his pregnant wife and their son which meant he must have been driving cautiously.

After evaluating the evidence the magistrate ruled that Borg could not be found guilty of injuring the woman since it had not been proven that the accident had been caused by his negligence or because he had failed to keep a proper lookout.

This, the magistrate noted, was corroborated by the testimony of PS Stephen Tarpey who, among others, said that when he went on the scene of the accident, Borg's car was half a metre away from the pavement.