Two men and a woman were arrested last night in connection with a mugging in Sliema which led to the death of an elderly woman.
Rose Garroni, 80, was knocked to the ground by thieves on the doorstep of her Dingli Circus apartment in Sliema on December 8. She was left unconscious in a pool of blood still clutching the handle of her bag. She died in hospital last Tuesday.
The two men, aged 30 and 29, and the woman, 21, from Cospicua, Birkirkara and St Paul’s Bay, are believed to have criminal records, sources told The Sunday Times. They are expected to be arraigned in the coming days charged with causing grievous bodily harm leading to death.
CCTV footage in the area showed two to three “youngish” people fleeing the area in a dark Fiat Uno, police sources said.
A witness in the area, metres away from the busy Sliema promenade, saw the men grab the woman’s handbag but failed to give police enough evidence to close in on the criminals.
Police have spoken to all the victim’s neighbours, but nobody saw anything out of the norm when Ms Garroni was knocked to the ground at 6.45 p.m. It was the police’s investigations into CCTV footage in the area which is believed to have led to the breakthrough.
The Criminal Investigation Department, together with the divisional police, are handling the matter, and “top priority” is being given to solve the case, police sources said.
Responding to criticism of a lack of police presence in the area, sources insisted that patrols intensified over the festive season, when there is a traditional spike in crime.
“Like previous years, patrols have been stepped up, but the police cannot remain in the same place all the time. Everywhere is a potential threat – not just Sliema... it could be Ħamrun, Valletta, Floriana...
“It’s easy for everybody to point fingers at the police. They need everybody’s cooperation to weed out criminals, but sadly they rarely get help. Most people seem to be more interested in gossip about what their neighbours are doing.”
According to relatives, Ms Garroni was “murdered for just a few euros” after going to the Millennium Chapel in Paceville. She was offered a lift, but being an independent woman, she opted to catch the bus home.