Six St Vincent De Paul Workers Charged With Involuntary Homicide Of Carmelo Fino
Six staff members of St Vincent De Paule (SVDP) have been charged with the involuntary homicide of 83-year-old resident Carmelo Fino.
Inspector Paul Camilleri testified earlier today at the start of criminal proceedings against staff at the elderly care home and hospital and he explained that no one stopped Fino, who suffered from dementia, from wandering outside.
The case dates back to June 2022 when Fino disappeared from the home and was found dead two weeks later in an advanced state of decomposition in a field in Għar Dalam. The death was not ruled as suspicious as the autopsy revealed there was no indication of third-party involvement.
One nurse, two healthcare workers, and three security guards were charged under summons.
The accused are Rhys Paul Xuereb, a 27-year-old nurse from Santa Venera, Jose Thomas, a 45-year-old carer from India, Jacqueline Cassar, a 56-year-old security officer from Luqa, Thomas Zammit, a 50-year-old carer from Ħ’Attard, Ivan Dimech, a 47-year-old Security Officer from Gudja, and Emanuel Aquilina a 59-year-old security officer from Mosta. They are all pleading not guilty.
Xuereb, Zammit and Robert Belli were the healthcare workers on duty that night.
Belli, who is facing separate charges, made a written declaration that he went to Fino’s ward at 5am to serve tea, and other patients told him that Fino was in the bathroom. Belli left his cup of tea and went away.
An independent inquiry led by Judge Geoffrey Valencia revealed that during the night of 28th June 2022, the gate of SVDP was left open when it should not have been. CCTV cameras caught Fino walking out of the residence at around 2:45am but he was only discovered to be missing at 7am the next day.
He was reported missing to the police at 11.45am after a head count, and a frantic internal search proved futile.
According to the Times of Malta, the CCTV footage shows Fino circling the roundabout twice, looking into the security guards’ room and heading back to the home. However, he then went around in a circle before heading straight out of the main outside gates.
The next day, an official search for Fino commenced all over the district, however he was only found two weeks later under a tree in a strongly decomposed state.
Lawyer Franco Debono is representing Xuereb, Dimech, Cassar and Aquilina.
Lawyer Antonio Depasquale is counsel to Thomas and Zammit.
Featured images: The Malta Police Force
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