On the morning of Saturday, May 6, Ali Abbas and Faizan Muhammad woke up early to go to work at a factory in Rabat. They never made it. At 6am, the two Pakistani men, who were living in St Paul’s Bay and travelling together on a motorcycle, were mowed down and killed. Karl Vella Petroni, now in court, was allegedly driving in the wrong lane and under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
It’s sickening that he has since pleaded not guilty to the whole package: involuntary homicide, dangerous driving, driving under the influence, driving without third-party insurance cover and even recidivism, which is a fancy way of saying that this was not the first time he had faced such charges. Yet, for some reason it took about two days for this stomach-churning story to make the news. This in itself is significant.
Ali was 41, a father of three girls: Faizan was 33. Both were described as quiet, unassuming and devoutly religious. And perhaps this is a fitting moment to remember Pelin Kaya, the beautiful Turkish woman who was allegedly killed by Jeremie Camilleri, apparently high on cocaine at the wheel of his BMW, in the early hours of January 20, her 30th birthday.
Death is always poignant, even at the end of a long and well-lived life. But there is something shocking – downright tragic – when decent and hard-working people in the prime of life are killed. And if it happens in a remote foreign country to immigrant workers with modest dreams of honest employment and a better life, then the pathos is truly heartbreaking.
Who is now going to provide for Ali’s and Faizan’s families back in Pakistan?
We may not have gun violence or knife crime in Malta but that’s no cause for self-congratulation or letting ourselves off the hook. Every time someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol gets behind the wheel of a car, he is in charge of a deadly weapon. He may be criminally irresponsible rather than homicidal but the potential to kill or to cause life-altering injury is just the same. And we have an epidemic here in Malta. In 2022, we had 26 road-related fatalities, which is, proportionately, a staggering 10 times that of any other EU country.
I’m not as a rule a ‘black and white’ sort of person. In fact, I tend to see nuance in most things. But when it comes to reckless, aggressive and dangerous drivers, I see red. I’m suddenly devoid of any shred of empathy and find it very hard to reserve judgement.
And, as absurd as it may sound, I am often far more exercised by these drivers than I am by cold-blooded killers and hardened criminals. The latter tend to get their comeuppance pretty quickly. That’s because, when faced with the enormity of their offences, the system gets itself into gear.
Not so when it comes to these spoiled, self-indulgent brats (generally male) who think nothing of driving when high. If only they were a danger to themselves. But, in the majority of cases, they destroy the lives of others, getting off unscathed and getting on with their own thoughtless and narcissistic lives.
We have an epidemic here in Malta. In 2022, we had 26 road-related fatalities- Michela Spiteri
By and large, the courts are still too lenient towards ‘involuntary homicide’. The very phrase is a misnomer. Admittedly, the recent tragic death of a lady motorcyclist who skidded on olives (fallen unnoticed from a van) comes close to the genuine concept but that is a case so far removed from Vella Petroni’s alleged lack of social values and insouciance.
Besides, nobody benefits when bail is granted too freely. Not even the accused who often seems to be given more rope with which to hang himself, squander his second chance, breach bail conditions and even commit further offences. This was Vella Petroni to a tee. Except, this time round, two innocent people had to die. So, it was a great relief when bail was refused. I fear, though, that the defendant will be bailed out in due course by his father and be back on the roads even before this article is published.
Such is the unfairness of life and the legal process. Who then will be bailing out those unfortunate people, thousands of miles away, who have lost a father, husband and son? What happens to them?
I have never really understood the double standards of our justice system. How can being ‘in possession’ of drugs be taken so seriously when being ‘under the influence’ of them (and causing death) is treated so casually?
Way back in 2018, Vella Petroni was charged with reckless driving, driving under the influence and other related offences and, yet, this case has, till now, not been decided. That’s shocking enough. But it becomes morally obscene when you realise that these two men might still be alive if the system had worked properly. Even now I’m not holding my breath that it will.
Such perverse leniency does not pass unnoticed. Recently, the justice minister openly criticised the suspended sentence handed down in respect of a 110 km/h taxi driver who had mowed down a pedestrian and caused her severe life-changing injuries.
The same sentiment was expressed by Prime Minister Robert Abela who, on Thursday, questioned whether our courts were awarding sentences which reflect the gravity of the act and duly acknowledged victimhood, pointing out that it is ultimately down to individual judges to use their discretion sensibly.
It’s high time that our legislators and courts dealt with offenders appropriately. If legislation needs to change, then change it. And perhaps in such cases, driving disqualification, licence revocation and vehicle impoundment should be automatic – a form of protection order pending the outcome of the case, or part of bail conditions at any rate.
Such ‘reality checks’ might focus minds and speed up the legal process, putting an end to those vexatious delaying tactics that are employed, mostly, by the legal representatives of the accused.