Kim Borg Nicolas Virtù’s relatives are being denied a visit to the prison cell where she died by suicide two years ago, saying they are effectively prevented from some form of closure they are longing for.

Her father, Martin, expressed his family’s anguish, as the authorities continue denying permission to allow them to visit the Corradino Correctional Facility cell where his daughter ended her life.

Kim was found unconscious in her cell on June 16, 2021, and died at Mater Dei Hospital on July 4.

“Court and the prison authorities keep denying us the possibility of visiting the cell where Kim was being held. We are longing to see it and I need to go there to get some closure,” Borg Nicolas Virtù told Times of Malta in an interview.

I felt my body go weightless and she talked to me. She told me: ‘I’m sorry daddy I made you cry. They made me do it.”- Martin Borg Nicolas Virtù

Asked why the visit meant so much to him, the heartbroken father explained he felt he owed it to his daughter.

“Something is telling me that my daughter wants me to go to see where she died. It’s not about getting my daughter back but about closure. What happened in there was never supposed to happen. I don’t think we’re asking for something out of this world; just this one visit,” he said. He said he still feels his daughter’s presence in everyday things he does.

“When she was in the Intensive Therapy Unit at Mater Dei, she was clinically dead but on the fourth day while I was there holding her hand, she turned her head to the right for about 10 seconds and then turned it to the left for about 30 or 40 seconds and at that moment I felt she was talking to me,” he said.

“I felt my body go weightless and she talked to me. She told me: ‘I’m sorry daddy I made you cry. They made me do it. Go see where it happened and make sure you don’t let it happen to anyone else. Daddy, forgive me, daddy I love you.’ This conversation still echoes in my head.”

Kim’s death, just days before her 30th birthday, led to the suspension and eventual arraignment of two prison warders who were criminally charged over the suicide. The two have been charged with involuntary homicide and with committing a crime they were duty-bound to prevent.

They are denying the charges and their case is still pending.

It emerged in court that Kim was hospitalised owing to self-harm just days before her fatal attempt. She had cut her wrists using a broken mirror in her cell before she was rushed to Mater Dei.

Her father said he was told his daughter had made four previous suicide attempts, with the last just two days before the one that landed her in critical condition in hospital.

The young woman was serving a two-year jail term after admitting to six counts of fraud and theft.

Borg Nicolas Virtù continues to believe his daughter was “driven to insanity” by the prison regime in Corradino.

There are several pending court cases surrounding his daughter’s death, including a constitutional case in which the family is claiming Kim was subjected to torture and inhumane treatment while in prison and had her fundamental human right to life breached by the State.

The suicide had triggered a magisterial inquiry which had gathered evidence about the circumstances surrounding the inmate’s death, ultimately directing the police authorities to take criminal action against the two warders.

The police were then advised by the attorney general to act upon the conclusions of the magisterial inquiry.

Corradino Correctional Facility was under the spotlight throughout 2021, especially after a number of suicides and suicide attempts, which eventually led to the resignation of prison director Alex Dalli.

Dalli, a former army colonel, had suspended himself from his position after running the prison since 2018. While he was praised for weeding out drugs from Corradino, he had consistently been under fire for his unorthodox methods of discipline.

Robert Brincau, formerly of the Red Cross, who ran detention services at the prison, succeeded Dalli but had to resign after he was convicted of holding a gun to someone’s head during an argument.

If anyone needs emotional support, they can call Richmond Malta’s helpline on 1770. In case of an emergency, one can call Mater Dei Hospital’s Crisis Intervention Service on 2545 3950. Alternatively, they can type OLLI.Chat on their desktop, mobile or tablet browser to chat with a professional 24/7. Mental health services helpline 1579 is also available around the clock.