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Blow By Blow: How Liam Debono’s Lawyer Grilled PC Simon Schembri About Xarabank Interview

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Left: Criminal lawyer Franco Debono, Right: Police officer Simon Schembri

Simon Schembri, the policeman who lost an arm in a hit-and-run incident last May, was in court today to speak about his decision to block the young driver from giving an interview to Xarabank.

Franco Debono, the defence lawyer of 17-year-old Liam Debono, questioned Schembri why he had asked the court to stop the interview with his client being aired when he himself had agreed to be interviewed by Xarabank host Peppi Azzopardi.

This is how the cross-examination went:

Debono: Were you invited to speak on Xarabank and did you accept the invitation?

Schembri: Inspector Herman Mula had informed me of Xarabank’s invitation, and although I didn’t initially want to be interviewed, I eventually accepted. Peppi Azzopardi came to my house and he spent around three hours talking about my family and looking at old photo albums, but it ended there. The next day…

Debono: So you accepted Peppi’s request to appear on Xarabank?

Schembri: Yes. The next day, Inspector Mula contacted me to tell me that Peppi Azzopardi had informed him that Liam Debono was also going to be interviewed. I took it really badly because Peppi had spent around three hours talking to me and my family and praising us, but didn’t mention his true intentions once. I instantly told Mula that I no longer wanted to appear on the programme and neither did my family. Peppi called me up, told me ‘u ejja, u ejja’ and tried to convince me to change my mind but it didn’t work. I told him he can bring Liam Debono to his programme all he wants, but I would not appear on it.

Liam Debono

Liam Debono has been charged with attempted murder

Debono: Did Peppi tell you that he was going to dedicate an entire programme to you?

Schembri: I didn’t know how much time I would have allotted to me on the programme.

Debono: Did you know whether it would have been a substantial amount of time?

Schembri: I had no idea. It could have been half an hour, three quarters of an hour, I had no idea. For all I knew, [Peppi] could have given me only 10 minutes, using the best pieces of our conversation.

Debono: You said that Peppi Azzopardi had praised you?

Schembri: Yes, and in fact I accepted to appear on Xarabank because I was told the the theme was going to be my family and my new foundation [for police officers who suffer injuries in the line of duty]. We instantly told Peppi that we weren’t going to speak about the case at all. In fact, at one point Peppi asked me whether I forgave Liam Debono and I told him that that the question was related to the case and that I wouldn’t be commenting on it.

Debono: You have been portrayed by many as a hero. So do you forgive Liam Debono?

Schembri: I won’t comment.

Debono: Would Herman Mula have appeared on Xarabank too?

Schembri: Yes, because he is involved in my Foundation and is better placed than anyone to speak about it.

Debono: Are you conscious of the fact that when you speak about how your life has changed due to the unfortunate incident, you are indirectly referring to the case?

Schembri: That’s not true. Peppi’s questions were all about my family and not about my personal health.

Peppi Azzopardi

Xarabank host Peppi Azzopardi

Debono: I find this hard to understand. Didn’t he ask you how your life has changed? How long did you spend talking to him?

Schembri: Around three hours, and my wife and daughter spoke to him too.

Debono: And he never mentioned the case?

Schembri: No, he never mentioned the case at all.

Debono: Who informed you that Liam Debono would be on Xarabank?

Schembri: Herman Mula, who was in constant contact with Peppi Azzopardi.

Debono: What was your reaction when Herman Mula called you to inform you that Liam Debono was going to be interviewed on Xarabank?

Schembri: I took a decision on the spot…

Debono: So you instantly told Inspector Mula that you wouldn’t appear on the show, even though you didn’t know whether Liam Debono was going to speak about the case or whether he was going to speak as a citizen?

Schembri: I had every right to do what I did. I was appearing on the programme as a citizen.

Debono: Isn’t Liam Debono a citizen too? Wouldn’t he have appeared as a citizen too? Did you take a decision on the spot before you found out what Liam Debono was going to speak about?

Schembri: Yes, I took the decision on the spot by myself.

Debono: No further questions, your Honour.

READ NEXT: Liam Debono’s Lawyer Calls Out PC Simon Schembri After He Blocks Xarabank Interview

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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