The relatives of Paulina Dembska, who was raped and murdered two years ago, have denounced court delays and said the alleged killer appears to be receiving more psychological help than his victim’s family.

The murder of the 29-year-old Polish student in the heart of Sliema on January 2, 2022, horrified the country and led to the introduction of femicide into the criminal code.

Speaking to Times of Malta for the first time since the murder, the victim’s sister and brother came together to pay tribute to the young woman and call for speedier justice.

The family members say their pain is exacerbated by lengthy court proceedings.

“The longer the case takes place, and the accused is not judged, we, as family and friends, cannot start mourning,” Paulina’s sister, Daria Dembska said.

Her eldest brother, Łukasz Dembski, added: “I can only say that the case is taking too long. We all know who took the life of our sister.

“I have the impression that the accused received more psychological help than our entire family. I believe the accused should go directly to prison and the punishment should fit the crime.”

A passer-by had found Paulina’s body just before 6.30am below the popular Sliema promenade, a short distance from the so-called cat village, where the Polish woman fed and took care of local strays.

The accused, Abner Aquilina, who proclaimed himself as “the antichrist”, is pleading not guilty to the crime. Court experts said he was “insane” during the act.

The youngest of five siblings, Paulina first visited Malta in 2018 and instantly fell in love with the island. From being quiet and reserved, her siblings noticed Paulina coming out of her shell after visiting Malta to study English.

“As a child, she was very sporty, she used to take part in running competitions, liked to go snowboarding and was also very sensitive towards animals,” Łukasz said.

But tragedy hit the family when their brother, Mateus, 20, died in a car accident. Paulina, 15 at the time, was shocked.

“Perhaps because she was the youngest, she didn’t understand. She closed off and was very selective with people. She started to read a lot of books and spent her free time helping animals.”

But the family noticed Paulina changing during her visits to Malta.

“We all saw that she started to open up more towards people. She was more confident and I saw she was very happy,” Daria said.

“She used to joke it was the vitamin ‘M’, for Malta,” she said.

Paulina visited Malta four times, always during the winter, as she suffered in the hot summer weather, and would send pictures daily to her family.

At the time of her murder, she was completing her studies in social work at Wroclaw University, in Poland and, every few months, she would travel to Malta to study English.

When she was in Poland, she would help their elderly parents with errands and doctor visits and work part-time to save up for her studies in Malta.

“She was a genuinely good person,” Daria said.

Their last conversations 

Before she was murdered, Paulina spent the summer with her brother and his girlfriend in their flat in Poland and he last saw her before she flew back to Malta in October 2021.

The last time they spoke was to exchange New Year’s Day wishes on the phone, a day before she was killed.

Daria said: “I spoke to her just three hours before she was killed. Our mother had booked a week trip to Malta at the beginning of January and they planned to travel back to Poland together.”

Paulina had plans to start voluntary work in Italy in February, where she was to learn to assist and care for addicts.

“She asked me to join our mother for the holiday in Malta.”

On the day of her murder, the family noticed that Paulina was not answering any messages but they thought she was having internet issues.

But, soon, horror hit home. Daria found out about her sister’s murder through a friend, who shared news reports.

She contacted the Maltese police but she was told that all the information was passed on to the Polish consul. It was the hostel staff where Paulina was staying who confirmed the identity of the victim.

Daria had to relay the tragic news to her parents: “It was the hardest sentence I ever said in my life. I think I will never see them smile again. The last time I saw them happy was at the end of that December.”

Paulina’s death also impacted the siblings, who recall how they did not feel safe when they were outside, constantly fearing someone was following them.

“It’s hard for me to visit my parents, sit around the table and not see Paulina. Our mother says that parents visit their children for dinner and birthdays but now she visits her children at the cemetery.”

Daria said Paulina’s death has affected her mental health and that of her young family.

“Our family life changed a lot. She used to visit often and help us with our young daughter.”

Daria visited Malta three times since her sister’s death, the first time to identify Paulina’s body and the last for a court hearing.

Her brother also flew to Malta in July 2022 to sit for a court hearing but that day Aquilina did not show up in court.

The family say they have taken comfort in the support they have received from the Maltese community. 

They were touched by a mural in the memory of Paulina at the Sliema site and thanked artists Justine Peel, Melanie Vella, Elaine Wirth and Julia Grech. 

Daria also thanked Paulina's friend Agnieszka Gramala, lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic, and Roberta Metsola, who dedicated her European Parliament presidency to Paulina and other female murder victims. 

They have been in contact with the local council as well as an artist to design a red chair in the cat park their sister loved to go to. The idea came about from a similar installation in Italy, named ‘Posto Occupato’ (Seat Taken), a seat dedicated to all women victims of violence.