A bank clerk was shot dead in a botched hold-up which saw both tragedy and heroism, on this day 50 years ago.

The dramatic episode unfolded in May 1972 at the Mġarr agency of Barclays Bank when three hooded men, one of them armed with a gun, barged into the office as staff were preparing for business.

The robbers cut phone lines and ordered the staff to hand them cash.

Times of Malta reported at the time that the staff offered no resistance. But one of the robbers suddenly shot Joseph Spiteri at point-blank range with a sawn-off shotgun. The 18-year-old from Zejtun was hit in the chest and fell to the floor.

The thieves then made for cash they saw in a drawer- the equivalent of €2,800.

At that point, a male customer walked into the bank. Realising what was happening, he grabbed the man with the shotgun and managed to wrest it off him. The customer, known as Neriku tal-pastizzi then dashed off with the gun into the bank's toilet. 

The robbers grabbed a few hundred pounds and fled in a Ford Escort getaway car. It was later found burnt in Burmarrad.

Police inspect the burn out Ford Escort getaway car.

A neighbour raised the alarm by calling the police from a neighbouring bakery but it was too late to save Joseph Spiteri, who died on the scene.

Governor-General Sir Anthony Mamo was among those who sent messages of sympathy to the Spiteri family.

"The terrible news of the tragic death of your son Joseph, killed in the prime of life while performing his duties at his place of work shocked us and filled our hearts with sorrow," Sir Anthony wrote, also on behalf of Lady Mamo.

Four men were taken to court a few days after the case. Two, Thomas Moran and Emanuel Zammit, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and were jailed for 18 years after the charge of murder against them was dropped.

Frank Frendo was convicted by a jury of armed robbery and manslaughter for having pulled the trigger and killing Spiteri. He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment with hard labour. John Gatt was found guilty of participating in the robbery and jailed for eight years.

The jury found that Frendo was guilty of armed robbery and involuntary homicide because his firearm had gone off through his negligent and imprudent handling, causing death.

The judge remarked that Frendo was a lucky young man.  He explained that whereas the penalty of life imprisonment had been established for the crime of theft qualified with the aggravating circumstances of willful homicide, no section of the law had provided for any penalty in respect of theft aggravated by manslaughter.  Moreover, the court was unable to penalise the accused for two separate offenses with which he had not been charged in different counts of the bill of indictment. 

At least two other men are known to have died in botched bank robberies in Malta. 

Police Constable Roger Debattista, a father of two, was shot dead while on security duties at a Bank of Valletta branch in Qormi in 2001.

Messenger Alphonse Ferriggi was killed while depositing a bag of documents - which robbers thought contained cash - at Bank of Valletta in San Ġwann in September September 2000.