Jockey Kenneth Gafa' was today sentenced to 35 years in jail after pleading guilty to murdering his former partner and was almost assaulted by distraught family members as he was being escorted away. 

The brief commotion happened moments after the 42-year-old Marsa jockey was sentenced for killing his former partner, Christine Sammut, who he shot in cold blood on the evening of December 11, 2010. 

It was Ms Sammut's brother who tried to attack Mr Gafa', only to be restrained by another family member. Ms Sammut's daughter was also distraught, telling Mr Gafa': "Go spend the rest of your life in jail, l**a." 

The van where the murder took place

Ms Sammut had suffered extensive gunshot injuries to her neck, chest and hands after Mr Gafa shot her twice from close range with a shotgun as she was sitting in her van outside a Zebbiegh bar, in Mgarr, waiting to pick up a friend. 

Ms Sammut succumbed to her injuries soon after arriving in hospital. 

Mr Gafa' pleaded guilty rather than facing a trial by jury and after a plea bargaining agreement reached with the Attorney General's office. Had he faced a trial and found guilty, he would have faced a maximum of life in jail. 

Before Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi, Mr Gafa' also pleaded guilty to possession of a shotgun during the commission of a crime, possession of an unlicensed firearm, breaching the peace and causing voluntary damage. 

Having known of the agreement, Mr Gafa' did not react to the sentence but seemed surprised when he was ordered to pay €7,000 in court expenses. 

Mr Justice Mizzi was angered at the commotion in court, telling the relatives to sit down and be quiet and that these things are not acceptable in a court of law. He told the man who tried to attack Mr Gafa' that he should go home and "light a candle and thank God" because had he not closed an eye he would have joined Mr Gafa' in jail for 30 days. 

But parte civile lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, appearing for the Sammut family, told the judge that the family members had gone through a lot of hardship following the murder. Later, Dr Azzopardi told journalists that Ms Sammut's brother had taken over his sister's business and had taken it upon himself to raise her daughter. 

Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and lawyer Nadia Attard prosecuted. Lawyer Malcolm Mifsud appeared for Mr Gafa' while lawyer Kathleen Grima also appeared parte civile for the Sammuts.