The wife and children of murder victim Paul Degabriele, Is-Suldat, have appealed a libel suit filed against weekly newspaper Il-Mument by the over an article that described him as a dangerous criminal.

Anna Maria, Nadeah and Ryan Degabriele called on the Appeals Court to overturn a previous court decision that found the description justified in the context of Mr Degabriele's criminal record, with its "never ending" list of offences and convictions from when he was still 15 years old.

Mr Degabriele’s heirs complained that the front page article of Il-Mument on June 16, 2013, two weeks after he was shot dead, had implicated him in high-profile murders over the past months.

Mr Degabriele, 48, of Fgura, was gunned down at about 11am outside Sammy’s Bar in Belt il-Ħazna Road, Marsa, on May 31 that year by an unknown man who escaped in a stolen white Nissan Vannette which was driven by an accomplice.

Mr Degabriele had just stepped out of the bar and was sitting in his Toyota pickup when he was shot three times in the head and twice in his upper body. A semi-automatic 9mm pistol was used, according to the police.

In October 2012, Mr Degabriele had reported to the police that a bomb had been placed under the Toyota. The device was safely detonated by ordnance experts.

Two months later he was among those questioned about the murder of Joseph Cutajar, known as Il-Lion, who was found dead in his car in Mosta a few hours after Josef Grech, 41, from Balzan, Il-Yo Yo, had been fatally shot in the head in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq.

Mr Degabriele had been released without being charged.

Earlier this month, Magistrate Francesco Depasquale threw out their libel suit, saying the description as a dangerous criminal was not libellous.

However, Mr Degabriele’s wife and children said in their appeal that the magistrate was “blatantly prejudicial” and that the judgment was based on “subjective opinion”.

They said that if Mr Degabriele should be described as a dangerous criminal, then what is the description fitting the person or people who killed him?

Lawyer Roberto Montalto signed the appeal.