Liam Debono, the teenage driver at the centre of the hit-and-run incident involving police constable Simon Schembri, has been unable to contact his parents since being detained at Corradino’s Division 6 following his re-arrest last Friday, a court was told on Wednesday.
Mr Debono was arrested on Friday afternoon when he was spotted in Luqa behind the wheel of a Fiat Uno despite having been granted bail on condition that he did not drive. He was arraigned on Saturday and remanded in custody.
Legal aid lawyer Victor Bugeja said that for the past four days, the teenager had been detained at Division 6 of the Corradino Correctional Facility and had been denied communication with his parents.
Not only did the young man need a fresh change of clothes and other personal belongings, but he also needed medication which he was meant to be administered daily.
Magistrate Joseph Mifsud recommended that the Prison Director ask the facility’s medical professional to liaise with Mr Debono’s personal doctor via the accused’s father to ensure that the necessary medication would reach him in prison.
Last Friday, an off-duty police sergeant, Kevin Curmi, driving near the airport roundabout, had sighted the young driver, his suspicion aroused by the man’s slouching posture in the driver’s seat.
PS Curmi exhibited a picture which he had snapped with his mobile phone while tailing the beige Fiat Uno on Friday.
The officer also confirmed that a photo of Liam Debono at the moment of arrest tallied with his own description of the young driver who had been wearing sunglasses which had since been preserved in the records of the case.
TVM reporter Brandon Pisani was next summoned to present a set of five photos sent to the newsroom by a source who had captured the moment of Mr Debono’s arrest at Luqa.
Prosecuting Inspector Pierguido Saliba told the court that a couple of witnesses had so far proved elusive, even exhibiting the negative notes of referral proving that the police had failed to track down these individuals, including the registered owner of the vehicle and the man who had been with Liam Debono at the time of his arrest.
“Put them on the wanted list and rope in the assistance of the CMRU(Community Relations and Media Unit of the Police Force) which is very efficient,” advised Magistrate Mifsud, authorizing the prosecution to serve notification of summons “at any time and place.”
“Find them by the next sitting,” was the Magistrate’s final word.
In the course of today’s hearing the court also observed that a Probaton Officer tasked with reporting regularly on Mr Debono’s progress had filed no report since her appointment last July. The officer is also expected to testify in the proceedings.
The case continues on Wednesday