The widow of a 35-year-old army sergeant who was killed when he was hit on the head by a boat’s propeller while diving is calling for anyone who knows anything to speak up in the name of justice.
“I hope this appeal does not fall on deaf ears. It’s been almost nine months. A person died and it’s been forgotten,” said Catherine Degabriele, 35, whose husband, Christian died on August 11 last year.
“We are living in a carefree society where no one wants to take responsibility. This is not right, for society in general and also for him. He was just enjoying his hobby and he was taken away from us. Everyone makes mistakes but everyone should take responsibility for what they do,” she said.
Her husband, who hailed from Għaxaq, died in August 2022 when he was hit by a boat while diving in the area between Buġibba and St Paul’s islands. He had been reported missing on August 11 at about 5.30pm. A search was conducted by the AFM and the Civil Protection Department, with the body being recovered at around 8.45am on August 12.
An autopsy later revealed he had skull injuries compatible to having been caused by a propeller.
However police have never identified the boat involved in the incident and nobody has been arrested or charged in connection with the death.
Christian's role within the Armed Forces of Malta was to offer electronic support for army vessels.
Sitting on a wooden bench at Ġnien il-Ġibjun, in Żurrieq with a close friend beside her, Catherine recalls: “This was one of the last places where we came together as a family. Our daughter was playing on the swings and he came here to look at the sea, which he loved.”
The couple met in April 2012.
“For me, it was a beautiful thing. When we met it was love at first sight. I’m grateful that I have experienced this in my lifetime. I was at a restaurant with about four friends and he was at another table with a friend. We spent the entire evening looking at each other. Before we left I saw him walk up to me. I wish you could hear him tell this story,” she smiles.
“He wrote his mobile number on a receipt and gave it to me. He said: ‘you don’t know me, but take a chance’,” she recalls.
A week later, she phoned him – she took the chance.
They remained together ever since that day. Two years later, they started looking for a home to buy and set a wedding day for May 2016. A year before, in April 2015, their daughter, Clarissa, was born.
Christian and Catherine Degabriele on their wedding day: ‘It was love at first sight.’The day of the accident
Catherine’s smile is shortlived as she moves from those memories to the incident that changed everything.
“What happened was a shock. We were still in our honeymoon period – building our future. We never even spoke about death. Suddenly he was stolen from us. His future was stolen from him and my daughter’s life was changed forever. We had many plans and were considering leaving Malta once he retired from the army where he had already spent 14 years working. Everything just fell through,” she says.
Catherine explains that Christian went diving almost every Saturday. He always loved nature and the sea. Since about 2017 he took diving seriously – he did the courses and was always reading about it and watching diving videos.
“He was fit and disciplined. He would not do something unless he was prepared and knew what he was doing. So when the accident happened I knew it could not have been his fault. He was so cautious and so careful. He knew the laws and he knew his limits,” she said.
That week was the week of the Santa Maria feast and Christian worked half days in summer. The weather forecast for Saturday was not good, so he planned to go diving on Thursday. That morning, he met up with a friend from the army to go diving.
“That day, I was at the office. It started raining at about noon and I called to tell him. He said he would get wet anyway and he went with his friend,” she said.
The two divers went their separate ways and agreed to meet at 5.30pm near the dinghy but Christian did not turn up.
As his friend looked around, he saw that the dive buoy’s rope was cut.
His friend contacted other friends from the AFM and they searched. Meanwhile, they informed Catherine, who was at home with her daughter, about what was happening.
“I told my daughter that he was working night duty. I could not believe it. Chris did everything as it should be. I knew he would not push his limits. Something must have happened. That night I didn’t sleep. I was thinking: maybe he was on a rock somewhere waiting for dawn to swim to shore,” she says.
But the next morning his body was found by his colleagues.
“He ended up being rescued by a boat he used to fix,” she said.
She was at home, surrounded by family, when they broke the news to her.
“My daughter was there but she was distracted playing with a cousin. I later found a quiet moment and told her what happened. I struggled to utter the words,” she said.
Searching for answers
These months have been very hard for her and her daughter as well as for Christian’s parents and all their relatives and friends. For some time, she did not have the strength to go to work. But she slowly started picking up the pieces to continue their life in the home they built together in Għaxaq.
“Our home is full of memories. There are many things he made. I see him in every corner. You end up living with ghosts. Sometimes it gets overwhelming but you can’t stop these flashbacks, these memories, from coming. We talk about him every day. My daughter asks to go to the cemetery because she feels him close there. She takes toys with her. When she asks I take her. I cannot help but think that this is not a place for a child. Sometimes, when she plays she phones him using her toy phone and speaks to him. She says: ‘How are you? What are you up to up there? I’m sure you’re swimming.’”
Now, nine months later, Catherine is reaching out to the anyone who may know anything to speak up. Last week, the police issued a fresh appeal for information. It was Catherine who asked them to after hearing how witnesses had spoken up months after the death of motorcyclist Marie Claire Lombardi who died after she skidded on olives.
“I know the sea is different to the road but it’s worth a try. What we really want we don’t get. The pain will remain there. Every day is more painful – another day without him. Every day is a battle. Our lives turned upside down. I never expected to become a single mother like this.
“He paid the ultimate price – he was taken early in life. Grief is always hard but even more when you are young and taken away by someone else’s action… when you had so much more to offer in life.”
“Victims have to face reality and pay the price of someone’s negligence. I call for more enforcement from the authorities and more responsibility. More caution would save a lot of trouble. Chris meant a lot to us… he deserves justice and his name to continue to be heard. This is a tragedy and a wake-up call not to happen again.”
Anyone with information on the case can speak to the police, anonymously or otherwise, by calling police headquarters on 21224001/119 or by reporting to the nearest police station.