Ivor Maciejowski’s mother knew the moment her other son rang her that something terrible had happened to Ivor.

He had called her the night before – the night he was killed.

“He felt the need to ring. He looked so beautiful. He was sitting on the sofa and there was this lovely haze in the room,” Sandra Wild recalled with a trembling voice.

They spoke at about 6.30pm. “I said I’d ring him back when we got back home,” she said. Later that evening she tried calling him again but he didn’t pick up.

The next day, August 19, the family got the devastating news that had shaken the country overnight: Maciejowski had been murdered along with his partner Chris Pandolfino in a botched robbery at their Sliema home.

Tom, the older son, was first to get the news and had to break it to his mother and his father Andrew.

“When Tom called me, I knew immediately something was wrong. I knew it in my heart that something had happened to Ivor,” his mother said.

When she made it to Tom’s apartment, about 20 minutes away from her home, she already knew. “I told him: It’s Ivor isn’t it? He’s died. I knew it in my heart. Then Tom said: What time? And I knew.”

The heartache was amplified when the family found out more details about the way their dear Ivor and his partner’s lives were ended. Intruders had shot the two men at close range.

Tom had last spoken to his brother on WhatsApp a couple of days earlier: “He planned to stay in Malta and I was helping him with packing his clothes and seeing what to give to charity.”

Ivor, his brother said, “felt safe in Malta” and was planning to move all his belongings over from the UK.

Sandra and Tom are now struggling to come to terms with the “vicious” way in which the “gentle giant” was murdered.

“It’s very sad as he said he felt safer in Malta than London. We could have never, ever imagined that something like this would happen to him. This doesn’t make any sense,” said Sandra.

Ivor, a UK national, was 30 and his partner 58.

Three men have since been charged with the murder.

Apart from dealing with their cruel loss, devastating for both families, the two have travelled to Malta for each court sitting amid COVID-19 pandemic regulations and quarantine restrictions.

At the rain pelted down, they sat close at an outdoor restaurant in Gżira, holding hands.

The brothers were born in the UK where they lived. Their paternal grandfather was Polish-Ukrainian – a mix Ivor was always proud of.

“He loved his family very much – and we adored him. Apart from losing my son, I’ve lost a very good friend. Whenever we spoke it was like talking to a friend. He had a zest for life,” Sandra said as she battled to hold back tears.

“Ivor was a very happy person. He lit up a room. He was always laughing. He was very, very happy here. He loved Malta. And he loved art.”

From a young age, Ivor loved taking photos – getting his family to strike strange poses. Art dealing was something he did on and off – born from his interest in the subject.

I told him: It’s Ivor isn’t it? He’s died

“He loved his art. Even when he was younger – 18, 19, 20 – he’d have a personal business plan every year. He wanted to be the best he could be, and he wanted the same for people around him. He would see the potential in everyone and would try to nurture that potential,” Tom recalled.

The brothers had shared an apartment in Earl’s Court, London. Since Ivor met his partner Chris about four years ago, he travelled between the UK and Malta and, as time passed, his stays on the island became longer.

“They were both so bubbly and fun together. He really loved Malta and always sent us photos,” his brother said.

The family had last met in the UK in March for Ivor’s birthday. He then flew out to Malta and, as the pandemic hit and lockdown restrictions were imposed, he remained here with Chris.

“We can’t get to grips with it. There was no need to shoot them. To go into a property is bad enough, somebody’s safe place. But to take a gun in. You can disable someone by shooting them in the foot. This was a callous, vicious crime. They didn’t have to kill them,” his mother said.

Her son holds her hand tightly. Then adds: “He had nice things but he wouldn’t have cared had they been taken. We just can’t understand.”

Ivor never mentioned any form of trouble or threats in Malta.

“If this was a case of someone who was always waiting for trouble, we might have been half expecting this sort of thing. But not in our family – it’s just too hard to comprehend,” the mother says.

Tom adds: “He would have said something or would have gone well away from it if there was danger.” His mother nods: “We don’t know what it’s all about really. We are paying for what they did for the rest of our lives.”

On hearing the news the pair, accompanied by Ivor’s father, step-father and Tom’s wife, travelled to Malta.

The first arraignment took place on August 27 and they took the decision to travel to Malta for court sittings when possible.

“It’s important for us to be there – it’s the only thing we can do. We feel helpless as there’s nothing we can do. We can’t bring him back,” Tom said.

It was difficult at first being in a foreign country but the police have been excellent and supportive, they said.

“It’s bad enough as it is. But had it been a case where no one was caught for the crime – that must be an everyday nightmare. It is hard when you’re in that courtroom. It’s actually awful,” Sandra said.

“It makes you so angry. When you’re hearing the details of what happened. There’s that part of you that wants them to see us.  For them to empathise and see the damage they’ve caused,” Tom said as his mother added:

“We want them to know who we are. To see who we are…. They can’t understand what they’ve taken away – both for us and Chris’ family.”

Due to coronavirus restrictions, each time they travel they have to quarantine when back in the UK, adding another layer of hardship.

The family also had to face the decision of where to bury Ivor. Initially they wanted him buried with Chris as “that’s what he would have wanted”. But when they realised this was not possible due to burial regulations that don’t allow a grave to be reopened before two years, they took his body to the UK where he is buried a few minutes away from his mother’s house.

“I go visit him whenever I can… Ivor had this ability to draw people towards him. He lived a very full life and met so many people. He really did go for it in a way many of us don’t.

“He had time for everybody. He was so kind and gentle, so soft. He was very cuddly. That’s another thing that’s hard for me. It was always a lovely strong hug. He made me feel safe in that hug,” she said.