Former soldier gets 18 months for comrade's manslaughter

A former soldier was jailed for 18 months on Friday for the manslaughter of a fellow soldier at the military barracks in il-Qortin five years ago.

Paul Cardona, of Kercem, was found guilty of involuntarily causing the death of Eucharist Cassar, of Xewkija, at the barracks in the limits of Nadur on February 3, 1998.

Magistrate Giovanni Grixti ruled that Cassar's death had not been the result of an accident but Cardona had actually been trying to prove that the gun could not be fired when it was in safe mode and he had actually pointed it at Cassar.

The magistrate remarked that, as a soldier, Cardona should have avoided these precise circumstances and not placed himself in them. He also noted that Cardona had initially tried to sidetrack the police investigation by claiming that Cassar had been holding the gun himself and had committed suicide.

Police Inspectors Carmelo Bartolo and Antonello Grech prosecuted.

Dr Anglu Farrugia and Dr Chris Said appeared for the defendant.