Three new charges filed against man accused of causing cyclist's death

Three new charges have been filed against the man accused with the involuntary homicide of cyclist Cliff Micallef, who died on impact at about 5 a.m. on July 30 after being hit by a car allegedly driven by 21-year-old Anthony Taliana.

Mr Taliana, of Hamrun, is pleading not guilty to involuntary homicide, drink driving, driving a car without insurance cover and relapsing, after having been convicted of dangerous driving a few years ago.

He allegedly hit Mr Micallef 20 metres away from the entrance to the White Rocks Complex in Bahar ic-Caghaq.

In the continuation of the compilation of evidence against Mr Taliana this morning, the prosecution added three charges based on evidence given in court by witnesses.

Mr Taliana is now also being charged with causing serious injuries to Rachelle Dingli Attard on December 1, 2007, when he was involved in a traffic accident while driving a Mazda MX5. He is also charged with dangerous and negligent driving on that day.

The third new charge is for speeding on the day that he allegedly killed Mr Micallef.

Raphael Carabott, the authorised officer responsible for speed cameras, told the court that the Bahar ic-Caghaq speed camera was set up on December 22, 2006 and that on June 12, 2009, nearly a month and a half before the accident, its mechanism was transferred to a St Julian’s camera. The Bahar ic-Caghaq camera was acting as a dummy on the day of the accident.

Court expert Mario Scerri, who was appointed by the court to examine Ms Dingli Attard, who was 17 at the time, confirmed that she was hospitalised on December 1, 2007 and released two days later. She still has visible marks on her face.

The defence lawyers filed an application requesting the revocation of the house arrest bail condition saying that it was useless at this point. They deposited his driving licence.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Audrey Demicoli is waiting for the Attorney General to reply.

The case continues on December 11.