Twelve years after cyclist Clifford Micallef was killed in a hit-and-run, his family have finally been given some closure.

As a court upheld a three-year jail term for the man responsible for Micallef’s death, his wife,  Shirley, spoke to Times of Malta about relief, sadness and keeping her husband’s spirit alive for her boys.

“Cliff’s life is not worth three years, it is worth many more and nothing can take away the hurt of a life snatched away so carelessly,” she said. 

“But I was very pleased the judgment wasn’t overturned. When the magistrate passed a three-year sentence, despite the public thinking it was too little, I was satisfied.”  

On March 1, a court upheld the three-year term handed down to Anthony Taliana, who was speeding and intoxicated the morning he hit Micallef after a night out in Paceville in 2009. 

As a result of the head-on collision in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, the 45-year-old father-of-three was thrown off his bike and left lifeless on the roadside while Taliana continued driving his girlfriend home.

Now, after more than a decade of court cases, Shirley says she and the boys can finally put the legal saga behind them.

“It wasn’t easy. A few days before the court dates I would feel the anxiety coming on and then,  after, the sadness,” she said. 

“And, of course, there are the mixed emotions that come from knowing the person who hit Cliff was right in front of me or behind me.” 

While three years may seem too short a period to serve for such a crime, Shirley explained, she had been mentally prepared by professionals that the term handed to the driver was a “positive step forward” since similar cases often ended with suspended sentences.

Still, relief was tinged with sadness – life without Cliff was not something they would ever get used to.

“The boys have grown now and we’ve had to get on with life in his absence but I know he is looking over us,” she said.

While the family had faced up to the financial and emotional challenges left by the tragic loss, the boys still missed their father terribly, she says.

A photo of the Micallef family, with sons Zak, Jon and Max (from left) on a skiing holiday in 2004, five years before Clifford’s untimely death.

“He was taken away too soon. One minute you’re a family unit and the next it’s just broken down due to carelessness. That hurts. We feel cheated.”

Having lost her father as a child herself, Shirley does what she can to keep her late husband’s memory alive, especially for her youngest son, who was only eight when the incident took place.

“Now all we have is memories. We have memories of a lovely family with all our ups and downs. We were lucky in that way because Cliff was very adventurous and we did a lot together,” she said.

“We look lots of photos and I realise Jon Jon, the youngest, often asks me to remind him of some story related to his father. He was far too young to remember so I make it a point to keep his spirit around us.”

After 12 years she admits it’s still tough talking about what happened but if her story is able to move one driver into being more careful on the road then reliving the sadness “would have been worthwhile”. 

Despite campaigning for safer roads for cyclists for some time now, Shirley says the situation has not improved and she still doesn’t feel safe enough to get on her bicycle.

With old roads there’s not much that can be done but with new infrastructure it is “a big pity” they are making them so driver-centred, she contends.

Shirley pointed out that bike lanes do not follow a holistic vision and are very fragmented.

To add to that, cyclists are never consulted in the building of new roads. “They have a voice and should be listened too,” she points out.

“I’ve discouraged and keep on discouraging my boys to ride. It’s against my principles because I’m into sport but the roads are just not safe,” she says.