Watch: 'My son was not unwell' - father of man who died after hotel brawl
Doctors found no evidence that Roderick Sciortino was unwell before he died, father says
The father of the man who died after being allegedly involved in a poolside brawl at a hotel is saying that his son was not unwell, after people who testified in court said that he had a brain tumour.
“Before he died, the doctors told us that he was not unwell… I am going to stand up for him,” grieving father Paul Sciortino told Times of Malta.
His son, Roderick Sciortino, died on Thursday after being kept in intensive care and placed on life support.
During a court sitting, Sciortino’s partner, Alexia Meilak, said: “Roderick was unwell. He used to say he had a brain tumour.”
The cause of death has yet to be established by medico-legal experts, which could lead to a change in the charges.
A day after Roderick Sciortino’s death, his father, Paul Sciortino, recounted how doctors had told the family there was no hope and that life support had to be withdrawn.
“One of the tests revealed that he suffered a few hits to the head,” Paul Sciortino said.
Paul Sciortino said doctors found no evidence that his son was suffering from any illness.
“The doctors did not tell us that [he has a brain tumour]. People say a lot of things… Now that my son is gone, he has me, his mother, his brothers, and our relatives who will stand up for him, so that we can reveal the truth,” Sciortino said.
The father said his son’s autopsy is scheduled for Monday, and until results are presented in court, he does not want to speculate and wait for the truth to emerge in court.
“He was a loving person who enjoyed helping anyone in need,” Paul Sciortino said.
In an allusion to the case, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said magistrates were working tirelessly, including on weekends, to handle the large volume of inquiries they were tasked with.
This past week has seen a flurry of fatal incidents ranging from crashes to a double murder in Rabat.
The Santa Marija Musical Society, Ħal Għaxaq A.D. 1873, paid tribute to the memory of Sciortino as a “supporter, long-time member, and enthusiast of the Feast of the Assumption”.
Roderick Sciortino was involved in a fight at Seabank Resort and Spa on Saturday, where he allegedly received a punch from a British tourist, Liam Joseph Stacey. Sciortino was at the hotel with his partner Alexia Meilak, her siblings and their parents to celebrate his daughter’s first birthday.
Stacey was charged with causing grievous injuries to Sciortino, but he denies the charges.