Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507552
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2023 NEWS NEWS Man hospitalised after car overturns in late night Iklin crash A man was hospitalised on Monday night after crashing with his car in Valley Road, Iklin. According to police, the man was driving a Toyota Yaris when he lost control of the vehicle at around 11:30pm. The car overturned and hit two parked cars. The man was given first aid by a medical team and later taken to Mater Dei Hospi- tal by ambulance. His injuries are of a grievous nature. Police investigations are ongoing. Woman falls two storeys after argument breaks out in Qawra apartment AN elderly man was hospitalised on Mon- day afternoon, after being in a traffic accient in Triq il-Belt Valletta, Ħal Qormi. Police said the accident happened around 9:00am. The police said the 77-year-old was driv- ing a Kymco motorcycle when it was in- volved in a collision with a Toyota Vitz driven by a 37-year-old man from Qormi. The motorcyclist was given assistance by a medical team on site, and later trans- ported to Mater Dei Hospital for further treatment. Police investigations are underway. Elderly motorcyclist hospitalised after Qormi collision AN elderly man was hospitalised on Mon- day afternoon, after being in a traffic acci- dent in Triq il-Belt Valletta, Ħal Qormi. The police said the 77-year-old was driv- ing a Kymco motorcycle when it was in- volved in a collision with a Toyota Vitz driven by a 37-year-old man from Qormi. The accident happened around 9:00am. The motorcyclist was given assistance by a medical team on-site, and later trans- ported to Mater Dei Hospital for further treatment, where he was certified of suf- fering from grievous injuries. Police investigations are underway. MATTHEW AGIUS THE accomplice of a man accused of setting fire to a yacht, moored at Sliema in 2022, has told a court that he had been promised €500 to carry out the ar- son attack. 38-year-old Olivend Xuereb from Buġibba was arraigned earlier last month and charged with complicity in the arson attack on a yacht named Megan Valletta in July last year, as well as with having given false testimony in the parallel prosecution of another man prosecuted in connection with the fire, Wayne Delia, and recidivism. Earlier last month a third man, Melvin Debono, known by his nickname, il- Quws, was charged with commission- ing the crime. Delia told the court that Debono had offered to pay him €500 to set the boat on fire, but the money had never arrived. When the compilation of evidence against Xuereb continued before Mag- istrate Nadine Lia on Tuesday, defence lawyer Rachel Tua requested bail. The court was informed that all civilian wit- nesses had now testified. Inspector Colin Sheldon took the wit- ness stand today, explaining how CCTV footage and other evidence had led in- vestigators to identify two men seen ap- proaching the boat that day. Delia and Xuereb had been arrested last year on suspicion of arson, but al- though charges were issued against De- lia, there had been insufficient evidence to charge Xuereb at the time. Delia, who is understood to have pleaded guilty in separate proceedings, had furnished the police with informa- tion about the crime, which he had later confirmed on oath before a magistrate. He testified again today, telling the court how he and Xuereb had agreed to throw accelerant on the boat, he said, insisting that it had been Xuereb who carried the fuel can. Delia said his part was to throw "a small keychain ball" at the boat. Although he did not elaborate, it is understood that this object had been set alight before it was thrown. Xuereb had then caught a taxi and fled the scene in it, he said. The crime had been commissioned by Melvin Debono, he said. Debono had promised him €500 to set fire to the boat, but the payment had never mate- rialised, Delia added. Police Inspector Colin Sheldon also testified on Tuesday, telling the court how a police sergeant had gone to the scene of a report of a fire on a boat, to- gether with firemen from the Civil Pro- tection Department. A passer-by who had been on a stroll along the seafront had spotted two burning objects on the boat and had promptly climbed on board, throwing them into the sea. The passerby had also described seeing two men, who matched Xuereb and Delia's descrip- tions nearby. Cross-examining the inspector, de- fence lawyer Rachel Tua asked whether Xuereb appeared on any of the CCTV footage collected during the investiga- tion. He replied that although there was no clear footage of him pouring the fuel on the boat, there was CCTV footage of the pair buying the petrol from a pet- rol station. Xuereb is seen carrying the jerrycan, he said, quipping that it was "clearly not for a barbeque," as the men had initially claimed. After the inspector finished testify- ing, the defence made a request for bail, which was not objected to by the pros- ecution. Lawyer Rachel Tua told the court that the defendant was now "on the right path," had made an effort to change his ways, and had even been nominated for a "worker of the year" award by his col- leagues. Xuereb told the court he was currently working three jobs in mainte- nance and security. His bail request was upheld, against a €2,000 deposit and a €5,000 personal guarantee, with the court also ordering him to observe a curfew and sign a bail book twice a week. A protection order was issued in fa- vour of the boat's three owners as well as Wayne Delia. Yacht arson accomplice tells court he was promised €500 BOV introduces new online appointment booking system BANK of Valletta is introducing a new online booking system, through which customers who wish to make an ap- pointment with a BOV Branch can do so with ease and comfort, without hav- ing to make a phone call or personally visit a Branch. This booking system has been intro- duced and tested with success at the Bank's Birżebbuġa, Żejtun and Marsax- lokk Branches, and is now in the process of being rolled out across the Bank's en- tire network. The online booking system offers many user-friendly and convenient fea- tures. It allows users to easily identify available time slots within the calendar of their preferred Branch, select the de- sired time, input other details, and con- firm the appointment. Users can also modify appointments made and set up automated notifications and reminders. Users will also be notified of any docu- mentation that they would be required to bring with them. These features will ensure that customers are well-pre- pared for the appointments they have set. Another key feature of the system is that it can be accessed and managed seamlessly from any device. This inte- gration simplifies the booking process, with changes made on one platform au- tomatically updated in other platforms, providing real-time access to informa- tion on appointments set.