The parents of a motorcyclist killed in a horror crash with an unpermitted skip say they have been left in the dark, with the authorities failing to provide updates or press charges two months later. 

Anthony Holmes, 80, and his wife, Patricia, 79, spoke to Times of Malta from the home of their late son, Dieter Vink, where they were still sorting their son’s belongings.

“No one has been in touch at all,” said Vink’s mother, noting there had been complete silence from the authorities since her husband and their son’s close friend, Juliette Johnson, collected his personal items.

“We are extremely disappointed that things haven’t moved on,” she added. 

Anthony Holmes went further: “It is more than disappointing. We are utterly disgusted. But I learnt this is Malta.”

Vink’s motorcycle at the crash site on the St Paul’s Bay bypass. Photo: Malta Police CMRU

Vink was riding his Honda motorcycle on the evening of December 14 when he crashed into an unpermitted skip positioned on the final curve of the bypass leading to the Xemxija roundabout.

“Back home [in the UK], police would have been on this like white on rice and probably would have charged whoever is responsible by now,” said Vink’s father. 

The couple, originally from Yorkshire, England, said that such obstacles in a UK street would have seen half a mile of cones and warning lights to divert traffic. 

“There was nothing for our son to see. It is too relaxed in Malta, and it feels like health and safety doesn’t exist here,” he added.

Footage of the crash’s aftermath sparked widespread anger on social media, with many calling for accountability, citing alleged negligence by the contractor.

Multiple sources informed Times of Malta that JV Infrastructure was responsible for the skip, but repeated attempts to contact the company were unsuccessful.

'I don’t even want to get out of bed'

A magisterial inquiry is ongoing, but the lack of communication and updates has deeply affected Vink’s family and friends. 

Clutching a locket containing a strand of her son’s hair, his mother admitted: “I don’t even want to get out of bed most days anymore.”

She recalled her fond memories of Malta, where she lived as a child while her father worked with the Royal Air Force. For decades, the couple had vacationed here yearly, often staying up to 90 days post-Brexit.

What was once a “home away from home” has changed forever. 

“At first, I swore I would never return, but his ashes are here, and I want to maintain a connection to him in some way,” Patricia Holmes said. 

As they prepare to return to the UK, Vink’s parents are already planning their return in a few months for a vigil in their son’s honour and hope to plant freesias in the small park near his home.

“Like that, we can sit and talk to him,” his mother said. For now, they believe these small acts offer a semblance of closure. But, they stress, it is far from enough and demand justice for their son.