logo
Two sentenced to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist

Two sentenced to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist

Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Ms Caruana Galizia.
Both were found guilty of the charges last week and were given the maximum sentence of life in prison on Tuesday.
Ms Caruana Galizia, 53, was murdered on October 16 2017 by a car bomb that was detonated while she was driving near her home.
The journalist had written extensively about suspected corruption in political and business circles in Malta. Her murder shocked Europe and triggered angry protests in Malta.
At the time of her death, she was facing more than 40 libel suits.
The six-week trial also concerned the separate murder of a lawyer, Carmel Chircop, who was shot and killed in 2015.
Two other men, George Degiorgio and Adrian Agius, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for that murder on Thursday.
George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio both pleaded guilty in 2022 to carrying out the murder of Ms Caruana Galizia. They were each sentenced to 40 years in prison.
A third man, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty in 2021 for his role in the Caruana Galizia murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
He gave evidence in the recent jury trial after being granted a presidential pardon for his role in the Chircop murder on the condition he tell the whole truth.
Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, is currently out of jail on bail awaiting trial on charges of alleged complicity in the Caruana Galizia murder.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Family's 'nightmare' after Brit, 25, plunges to his death from Malta balcony
Family's 'nightmare' after Brit, 25, plunges to his death from Malta balcony

Daily Mirror

time30-07-2025

  • Daily Mirror

Family's 'nightmare' after Brit, 25, plunges to his death from Malta balcony

Kieran Hughes, 25, was on a trip with friends when he fell from a balcony at the 10 storey Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julian's, Malta - and suffered multiple blunt force injuries A 25-year-old British man died after suffering multiple blunt force injuries when he plunged from a hotel balcony in Malta, an inquest has heard. ‌ Kieran Hughes, a software engineer from Nant Gwynant, Gwynedd, Wales, was on a trip with friends when he fell from a height at the 10 storey Cavalieri Art Hotel in St Julian's, on the east coast of the Mediterranean island, at roughly 4am on July 11. First responders raced to the building in Malta's Triq Spinola area but the 25-year-old was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. In a heartbreaking statement, Hughes' devastated father described him as "a special son and twin brother," adding the family were "living in a nightmare" since the tragedy. ‌ ‌ Opening the inquest, assistant coroner for North West Wales Sarah Riley said the case was likely "to be an unnatural death," the cause of which being "multiple blunt force injuries due to a fall from height," according to Maltese authorities. She added that the circumstances surrounding the incident had yet to be established in Malta and adjourned the inquest pending further inquiries. The Foreign Office previously said it was in touch with local authorities regarding Hughes' death, with police inquiries thought to be ongoing. Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said the young man's death was "heartbreaking news," adding: "My heart goes out to the young man's family at this extremely difficult time." Senedd member Sian Gwenllian said: "The pain his family must be experiencing is unimaginable. My thoughts, and those of the people of Gwynedd, are with the family in their grief." Mr Hughes was employed as a software engineer at the M-Sparc Science Park in Anglesey and studied engineering at Bangor University. His family said they wanted to remember his as being "happy, loving and full of life". Welsh MP Sian Gwenllian, who represents Arfon, said at the time of Hughes' death: "News of the death of a 25-year-old from Gwynedd in Malta is truly devastating. The pain his family must be experiencing is unimaginable. My thoughts, and those of the people of Gwynedd, are with them in their grief."

Cause of North Wales man's death in Malta revealed at inquest
Cause of North Wales man's death in Malta revealed at inquest

North Wales Live

time30-07-2025

  • North Wales Live

Cause of North Wales man's death in Malta revealed at inquest

An inquest has opened into the death of a North Wales tourist in Malta. Kieran Thomas Hughes was holidaying in the St Julian's area on the Mediterranean island, the hearing in Caernarfon heard this morning. It had previously been reported that Mr Hughes, 25, died after falling from a hotel balcony. Today Sarah Riley, assistant coroner for north west Wales, told the hearing the full circumstances about Mr Hughes' death "are not yet available". However, she said Mr Hughes, who was a software engineer of Bron y Graig, Nant Gwynant, Caernarfon, died at Triq Spinola on the Mediterranean island on July 11 this year. Ms Riley said the cause of death provided by the Maltese authorities to her was "multiple blunt force injuries due to a fall from height". She added that it is "more likely than not to be an unnatural death". She said this cause is sufficient for her to hold an inquest which she opened and adjourned pending completion of further investigations. It has been reported that medics were called to the scene in the town's Triq Spinola area at around 4.15am. It is understood Mr Hughes was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesman for the Foreign Office has previously confirmed they were in contact with local authorities regarding the death. Police inquiries are reported to be ongoing. Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd described Mr Thomas' death, at the time, as "heartbreaking news". "My heart goes out to the young man's family at this extremely difficult time," she added. Senedd member Sian Gwenllian said it was "truly devastating". "The pain his family must be experiencing is unimaginable," she said. 'My thoughts, and those of the people of Gwynedd, are with the family in their grief,' Ms Gwenllian added.

Gwynedd man who died in Malta hotel balcony fall pictured as family left heartbroken
Gwynedd man who died in Malta hotel balcony fall pictured as family left heartbroken

North Wales Live

time14-07-2025

  • North Wales Live

Gwynedd man who died in Malta hotel balcony fall pictured as family left heartbroken

Loving tributes have been paid to a holidaymaker from Gwynedd who tragically died after falling from his hotel balcony in Malta. Police were called to a hotel in St Julian, Malta, on Friday morning, where they discovered the body of Keiran Thomas outside the premises. Despite the immediate arrival of paramedics at the scene on Triq Spinola, on the island's eastern side, the 25 year old was tragically pronounced dead at the site. The Maltese police have launched an investigation into the fatal incident, with initial findings suggesting Mr Thomas may have fallen from his hotel balcony around 4.15am. Triq Spinola, the road outside the hotel, was temporarily closed to traffic earlier on Friday morning, reports Wales Online. Mr Thomas' devastated father, Alan Hughes, spoke to the BBC expressing gratitude for the supportive messages received from the public. He also said that his son, a twin, was employed as a software engineer at the time of his death, with "a promising career ahead of him". MS Sian Gwenllian, who represents Arfon, said in a statement that the death was "truly devastating". She said: "News of the death of a 25-year-old from Gwynedd in Malta is truly devastating. The pain his family must be experiencing is unimaginable. My thoughts, and those of the people of Gwynedd, are with them in their grief." Dwyfor Meirionnydd's MP, Liz Saville Roberts, also issued a statement. She said: "Heartbreaking news. My heart goes out to the young man's family at this extremely difficult time." Investigations by Malta Police into the tragic fall at the Cavalieri Art Hotel continue.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store