‘She Does Not Deserve To Be Forgotten’: Bernice Cilia’s Sister Speaks Out After Sentencing
As the man who murdered Bernice Cilia was sentenced to 40 years in prison, her sister Alessia Cilia Portelli issued a powerful message to Malta: “speak of Bernice and remind everyone who she was,” instead of focusing on her killer or the length of his sentence.
Standing alongside her parents Joseph and Marlene and family lawyer Marita Pace Dimech, Cilia Portelli addressed the media after the sentence was handed down, a moment she said she had been preparing for since November 2022, when her sister was killed.
Bernice’s murder shocked the nation and exposed the state’s failure to protect her, a failure later confirmed by an independent inquiry led by retired judge Geoffrey Valenzia. Despite making repeated reports to police and even after her protection order was breached, Bernice was left unprotected, and ultimately paid with her life.
Her killer, Roderick Cassar, was facing life imprisonment before he reached a plea deal that resulted in a 40-year sentence, a sentence the family “bowed its head” to, as confirmed in court by lawyer Pace Dimech. But for the Cilia family, there is no sense of victory.
Cilia Portelli openly admitted it was not easy to accept the sentence, stressing that no punishment “can ever be just, can ever be enough.” She also reminded the public that 40 years does not necessarily mean 40 behind bars, due to possible sentence reductions for good behaviour.
She spoke painfully of her sister’s life, describing domestic violence as “our society’s scourge,” and condemning the mindset of a man who killed because “she did not deserve to live if she didn’t belong to him.”
But today, she insisted, the focus must return to Bernice, not the man who killed her.
“Speak of Bernice, remind everyone who Bernice was, because this is what she deserves. She does not deserve to be forgotten.”
She reminded the country that while a sentence ends a court case, it does not end grief, and it will not restore childhood to Bernice’s two children, who were just 5 and 8 when their mother was murdered.
“So today, talk about Bernice, and remind everyone of the other women who shared the same fate, and who are still waiting for justice.”
Cilia Portelli closed with a message of solidarity to other families still fighting for answers.
“I understand exactly what they are going through.”
Her message is clear: Remember Bernice, say her name and never let the women killed by violence become just another case file, headline, or statistic.
Photo credits to Newsbook
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