Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/977918
maltatoday SUNDAY 6 MAY 2018 26 One of the two police officers who inter- rogated Nicholas Azzopardi at the Flori- ana headquarters had deceived the police force and the government into believing he had saved a woman from drowning 10 years ago. Police Sergeant Adrian Lia, who inter- rogated Azzopardi at the police depot where the deceased sustained the inju- ries leading to his death 13 days later, had duped the nation into believing he had behaved heroically by jumping into the ice cold sea in Sliema to save Mary Farrugia on 23 December 1997. Lia – then a 23-year-old police con- stable – was awarded a gold medal for bravery after he claimed to have jumped into the sea to save 54-year-old Farrugia from Sliema as she was drowning near Qui-Si-Sana at around 5.15am. His fabricated story not only eventual- ly embarrassed the government and the police, but also made it to the official police press releases issued by the corps. In fact, his alleged heroic act was widely reported in the press, with jour- nalists taking his word about his self less deed and reporting how he had braved the stormy seas to rescue Farrugia, who according to the police statements was some 15 metres offshore. Also, according to the official version, Lia went on site together with Sliema Duty Sergeant Carmel Pace – who later transpired did not even go there. His story went as far as the office of the prime minister, where former minister Joe Mizzi, together with po- lice commissioner George Grech, had awarded him a gold medal for bravery. "In Malta we hear more negative criticism than positive feedback about the police," Mizzi had declared at the presentation of the medal at police headquarters on 8 January 1998. "It's true there are shortcomings, but acts like the one committed by Constable Lia show there are responsible people in the police corps." Responsible indeed; barely two months later, Lia's fabrication was proved be- yond doubt when all the eyewitnesses recounted how he did not even touch the sea, let alone dive in to save the woman. On 7 March of that same year, The Times reported how Lia was about to face disciplinary procedures after he was found to have deceived the police and the government. Lia was stripped of the decoration and a police investigation had concluded that "steps should be taken" against him for his false reports. The investigations were led by Su- perintendent Paul Debattista, whom several witnesses had told that Lia had never dived in to save the woman. On the contrary, one of the eyewitnesses told the police that he actually helped the policeman lift the woman to safety after another woman had persuaded the woman to swim ashore. The police had originally said the woman was about 15 metres offshore while the eyewitnesses said she was a mere two metres away from the rocks. The official police report, filed at the Sliema police station, said there was a police sergeant at the scene while eyewitnesses said Lia was alone. Initial reports also said the policeman braved the rough seas, while eyewitnesses said the sea was calm. And yet, Lia, who has been a member of the police corps since July 1992, was eventually promoted to the rank of police sergeant. Meanwhile it is unclear whether Lia himself is one of the two police officers who allegedly suffered scratches on his forearms and chest as he claimed he was "trying to save Nicholas Azzopardi from jumping off a wall". The other police officer interrogating Azzopardi was Reuben Zammit. Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. Nicholas Azzopardi's interrogator deceived public, government and force 10 years ago Opinion IVF: control number of embryos produced If the Church teaches us that embryos at any stage of develop- ment are always human; if pressure groups are telling us that freezing could be detrimental to the delicate and fragile embryo, and risky to the future well-being of the child; if science is telling us that the human uterus cannot normally cope with more than three embryos at the same time; then, there is only one solution: control the number of em- bryos produced in the first place. The law should concentrate at the IVF process precisely when the embryologist fertilizes the multiple ova with the best sperm cells that s/ he has available. With the consent of the parents, the embryologist cannot keep fertilizing extra ova. So, if parents decide to accept say three embryos, the embryologist should stop at the third embryo and the mother cannot change her decision; she will have to accept all the three embryos that were 'created' specifically for her. But how are you going to enforce the law at microscopic level? It is un- derstood that an embryologist has to show how successful s/he is at producing embryos…. I am also concerned about the use of the coil and morning-after-pill if we truly believe that embryos (like foetuses) are humans. Charles Micallef Via email GreenPak welcomes beverage container consultation paper GreenPak – Malta's leading recycling collection cooperative – welcomes the publication by the government of a consultation paper on the Beverage Container Refund Scheme. Waste and litter in our envi- ronment is a major challenge and we are committed to supporting any initiative aimed at tack- ling this problem – including the beverage container refund scheme, which we believe is ca- pable of having a positive impact once key issues are addressed to ensure that it is indeed effective. We are pleased to note that the government has already taken on board some of our early proposals, and GreenPak will continue to draw on expertise and its members' experience to provide further feedback; however, it is important for everyone to understand that the use and misuse of glass, plastics and aluminium goes way beyond beverage containers and that it takes a collective effort on behalf of everyone to increase recycling in a meaningful way. GreenPak has for many years undertaken successful recycling initiatives – the latest being the Crush and Win campaign launched last November – to incentivise the responsible recovery of plastics and it will continue to do so. Last year, GreenPak collected just over 60 per cent of the plas- tics placed on the market by the 1,600 companies supporting the cooperative's recycling services provided on a daily basis to 70 per cent of the Maltese popula- tion. Mario Schembri, GreenPak CEO The article entitled 'The work of the Down's Syndrome Association', written by Joeanna Xerri and published on Wednesday 11 April 2018, refers to social inclusion for youths with Down's Syndrome. In her article, Xerri stresses the point that social inclu- sion is very important for such youths who seek the compan- ionship of their peers. Aġenzija Sapport has indeed launched a service in 2017 focusing on this aspect, called Sharing Lives. This ser vice aims to inte- grate persons with disabilit y more into the communit y by facilitating participation in various social activities and by increasing social contact through the involvement of volunteers who are provided with training and super vision by professionals. It brings together persons with disability and volunteers, thus allowing persons with disability to form meaningful friendships with their peers and other young people. This project is being accepted well by people with disabilities and their families. The activities organised from time to time by volunteers in collaboration with service professionals, may be on a one- to-one basis, or in groups. Past activities included horse riding, art lessons, cooking sessions, fitness classes, hikes, dance workshops and attend- ing social activities such as theatre productions and con- certs, among several others. Persons with a disability wishing to join Sharing Lives and persons who would like to offer some hours as volunteers, are encouraged to contact the Agency on 2256 8000 or visit w w w.sapport.gov.mt for more information and regular updates about the Agency, or follow the Agency on social media. Aġenzija Sapport is the National Agency offering vari- ous services and schemes for persons with disability and their families, including also workshops and support groups for parents and siblings of per- sons with a disability. Rosalie Vella Piscopo Agenzija Sapport News – 7 May 2008 Sapport's Sharing Lives aids integration of persons with disability 201820172016 201520142013 201220112010 2009 2008