Exercise held in freezing water

Four soldiers required assistance after they suffered from hypothermia during a military exercise in which Gunner Matthew Psaila died last February, a court was told yesterday.

The soldier wading in the water right next to the young gunner was the first to get hypothermia and was moved to high ground. Moments later, another three soldiers became hypothermic in the "unbearably cold water" at Chadwick Lakes that day.

A commotion ensued and a head-count revealed that Gunner Psaila was missing, Police Inspector Joseph Agius said in the Magistrates' Court.

Lieutenant Christian Vella, who was in charge of the C Company (the AFM's quick reaction force), and Lance Bombardier Marvic Peregin, who was leading one of three teams, rescued the four soldiers but they lost sight of the rest of the team.

Soldiers had complained about the low water temperature but the lieutenant insisted that the training would go ahead anyway.

Three months after the incident, the two officers yesterday appeared before Magistrate Audrey Demicoli charged with the involuntary homicide of the 19-year-old gunner through negligence on that fated February 13. They were also charged with committing a crime they were in duty bound to prevent.

They both pleaded not guilty.

Gunner Psaila died in the early hours of February 16.

Lt Vella, 27, of Zabbar and LBMD Peregin, 31, of Pembroke sat in the dock with the parents of their dead colleague sitting behind them, sobbing silently every now and again as they heard the testimony unfold.

Ins. Agius said that on February 13 the police were informed that an accident had happened at Chadwick Lakes at about 11 a.m.

The army training exercise consisted of the soldiers wading upstream. Twenty-nine soldiers were divided into three teams and Gunner Psaila's team was led by LBMD Peregin. Each team used a log as a buoying device.

Before the men started wading, the lance bombardier asked if anyone had any problems swimming but Gunner Psaila did not say he could not swim. The only one to speak up was Gunner Darren Galea and LBMD Peregin told him he would warn him when they were approaching deeper waters.

Some time into the exercise, Gunner Galea started getting hypothermic and Lt Vella helped him out of the water and into a sleeping bag to warm up.

While the lieutenant was on the shore three soldiers started getting hypothermic. LBMD Peregin went to their rescue and was contracting hypothermia himself. At that point he ordered a head-count and realised that Gunner Psaila, who had been in front of Gunner Galea, was missing.

Eventually, John Cachia, a safety officer, pulled Gunner Psaila from the water and another soldier helped resuscitate him. He had no pulse but, after some time, he coughed up water.

They called an ambulance but, since it took long to arrive, they emptied the army's Land Rover, put the unconscious soldier onto a stretcher and headed to Mater Dei Hospital. On their way they met the ambulance and transferred him into it.

On the day, the police inspector pointed out, the C Company only had four lifebuoys for 29 people but those were all they had.

Gunner Roberto Scerri, a section commander, confirmed they had taken all the lifebuoys at their disposal but said there were five not four. They had also taken two stretchers and two of three first aid kits because one was used elsewhere.

When the gunner stepped into the witness stand, Lawyer Emmanuel Mallia, representing the victim's family asked him if anyone from the Armed Forces of Malta had spoken to him about the case before he testified. He said nobody did.

At that point, Dr Mallia asked the witness to say whether he could see any people from the AFM in the courtroom and the gunner picked out four people, two of whom were taking notes.

The soldier said he had waded through the Chadwick Lakes route three times before and never experienced problems. He insisted that the exercise was carried out according to how he and his colleagues had always been trained.

"We've always worked with what we had... We do a lot of things that are not safe for us... We were never taught what to do if we feel that the equipment available to us is not adequate for an exercise," he said.

Police Inspectors Joseph Agius and Roberta Vella prosecuted.

Lawyer Joseph Giglio was defence counsel.

Lawyer Emmanuel Mallia and Michael Tanti-Dougall appeared for the victim's family.