The mother of a three-year-old boy who fell to his death down a shaft on April 16 this morning recounted the circumstances leading to the tragedy in Zebbug.

Vanessa Agius gave evidence in court in the case instituted against Francis Mamo, 53, of Naxxar, a director of Oman Construction Ltd, who has been charged with the involuntary homicide of Gabriel Agius on April 16 at about 1 p.m.

Mr Mamo is the owner of the building where the boy plunged to his death in the basement garages.

Mrs Agius said she had gone downstairs to park her car in the garage. Her son was with her all the time. As they came out, they noticed water dripping from the ceiling and had taken the lift to the first floor to see where the water was coming from.

She remembered remarking to her son about the quantity of water they were seeing. At one time they both looked up to see where the water was seeping from. Then suddenly she could not see Gabriel any more but heard a thump which she later learned was his head hitting the floor at the bottom of the shaft.

Mrs Agius said that on seeing Gabriel down the shaft her first reaction was to jump down after him, but she raced down to reach him. Since she worked with nurses, she knew that she should not move him, and she started screaming for help as loudly as she could.

Replying to questions, she said there was nothing to stop people from falling down the hole, and the garages were in pitch darkness.

She remembered that about three years before she and others had attended a meeting with Mr Mamo who complained after a hefty electricity bill. Mr Mamo had insisted that he could not be responsible for such bills and unless somebody assumed responsibility, Enemalta would switch off the power. The meeting was inconclusive.

Asked whether there were other dangerous openings, she said there was another leading to a stairwell. The local council had sought to close it, but it was still unsafe and the police had intervened and made it safe.

The owner of three garages in the building, Brian Zammit, said no precautions were taken to make these openings safe and whenever he saw Mr Mamo he used to tell him about the danger which the shaft posed.

He said he never paid any electricity bill for the garages and was never asked to do so.