Roderick Cassar gets extra jail time for domestic violence before femicide

Roderick Cassar, who was jailed for 40 years for the femicide of his wife Bernice, has been handed two additional prison terms - three months and eight months - in connection with domestic violence incidents reported before her murder in November 2022.

He received a three-month sentence in connection with an incident on May 8, 2022 - Mother’s Day - when he held a knife to her throat. An eight-month sentence was imposed for another incident on July 14, 2022.

On that day, as previously reported, Cassar was at hospital and his wife took their children to the hospital car park to see their father. An argument ensued, during which Cassar threatened to “kill you and blow your brains out.”

During a court sitting this morning, Magistrate Lara Lanfranco delivered the final rulings in three domestic violence cases against Cassar. While she did not read out the full judgments in open court, she said they related to incidents that occurred on May 8, May 31, and July 14, 2022.

Bernice Cassar (Cilia) was shot dead as she drove to work in 2022. Photo: Facebook

Cassar was acquitted in relation to the May 31 incident, the details of which are not yet known.

The May 8 and July 14 incidents had previously been documented by Times of Malta in an article about the timeline of reports filed by Bernice.

As Magistrate Lanfranco read out the three rulings, Cassar was cleared of some charges but found guilty of others, resulting in the two additional prison terms. Further details are expected once the full judgments are published.

Jailed for 40 years

In November last year, Cassar was sentenced to 40 years in prison for femicide. He shot the 40-year-old mother of his two children in the neck and chest at close range after intercepting her in traffic on her way to work in Corradino on November 22, 2022.

Cassar initially denied the murder but later changed his plea as part of a plea bargain that resulted in the 40-year sentence.

People sign a book of remembrance for Bernice Cilia at the University of Malta. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

He was arraigned and charged with murder on November 24, 2022 - two days after the shooting - becoming the first person in Malta to be charged with wilful femicide, an aggravated form of homicide. He had initially pleaded not guilty and was due to face a jury trial.

A week before her murder, Bernice reported to police that her husband had breached a court protection order following the May knife incident. In July, while they were living separately, he had also threatened to kill her. She filed another police report the day before her murder.

She was shot dead the following morning.

A subsequent inquiry led by retired judge Geoffrey Valenzia found that the state failed to adequately protect her, citing a lack of resources and a heavy caseload.

The inquiry recommended reforms to how risk is assessed in domestic violence cases, including the introduction of a triage system. The DASH risk assessment had classified Bernice as facing a “medium risk.”

Additional recommendations included the development of new standard operating procedures and a stronger focus on domestic violence education within the school system.