Woman feared husband would kill her if she left tunnel

A woman held captive in a derelict underground tunnel for three days by her estranged husband had stayed put out of fear that he would find her above ground and kill her, a court heard.

This emerged as the compilation of evidence against 37 year-old Roddy Williams from Fgura continued this afternoon.

"There will be a big funeral in Malta such as has never been seen before," Williams is supposed to have said after he allegedly led his wife, Nathalie into the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the derelict Fort Ricasoli. She was kept in a dark chamber there for three days and Williams allegedly raped her twice during her ordeal.

Seychelles-born Williams currently stands charged with having allegedly kidnapped his 46-year old estranged Maltese wife, trapping her in the abandoned tunnel in Kalkara, without any food and drink for several days, thereby placing her life in manifest jeopardy. He is also accused of  raping the woman, holding her against her will, harassing her and causing her to fear violence would be used against her.

It was the woman’s father who had first alerted the authorities of the woman’s disappearance. A nationwide search for her was conducted, with police searching the woman’s workplace and local hospitals to no avail. Also futile were attempts to locate her mobile phone using remote location techniques.

During the evening of October 30 Police had been dispatched to deal with reports of a fight in Kalkara. There they found Williams, who had allegedly been confronted by relatives of his estranged wife. He was taken into custody, where he later revealed the victim’s whereabouts. Williams was taken by the police to Ricasoli, where the victim was found, unconscious, in an underground chamber.

Raped at knifepoint

The victim had told a court-appointed expert that she had agreed to meet her husband there in the hope of reaching an amicable compromise in the couple’s ongoing separation proceedings.

But, she said, the man had suddenly pushed her down the a staircase at the fort, from where she fell into the sea. The accused, having pulled her from the water, had then frogmarched her into the tunnel complex that runs underneath Fort Ricasoli, threatening to harm her and her loved ones if she failed to obey him.

Once inside a dark underground chamber, the man had allegedly raped her twice at knifepoint, threatening to slit her throat and bury her there.

Testifying in court today, police inspector Josric Mifsud explained how the woman had told police that she had not left the chamber while her captor had been away because she was terrified that he would make good his promise to kill her and her family if he were to find her outside.

Asked by the defence about the fact that the woman had amended her original version of events, the inspector highlighted the fact that the woman had been spoken to a matter of hours after her ordeal and had evidently still been traumatized.

After having received medical attention, some hours later, the woman had clarified that she had not been taken to Ricasoli in her aggressor’s car but had met him there because she wished to end separation matters between them amicably.

Lawyer Ludwig Caruana, appearing parte civile for the victim, explained that the woman had confused two separate incidents, one of which had occurred a few days before her last ordeal when she had filed a police report against her estranged husband.

Inrticate tunnel network

Earlier in today’s sitting, Dr Stephen Spiteri, a military architecture historian specialized in fortifications, testified that Fort Ricasoli is currently government property designated as ‘unallocated’. This meant that there was no physical barrier to stop the public from entering the medieval Fort, which sits atop an intricate network of tunnels that stretches to the sea.

Dr Spiteri explained that at the entrance to the complex there is a large barrel vault with around 20 musketry firing holes which would allow sufficient light in to walk through without a torch.

Deeper inside there was a tunnel the roof of which had collapsed, which also allowed some light into the underground space. This leads to a zigzag of tunnels which, in turn, lead to the chamber where Williams was allegedly held hostage.

The chamber was completely dark, he said.

However, defence lawyer Franco Debono confronted the witness with a site-plan drawn up by another court expert, architect Mario Cassar, which did not mention the firing holes or the collapsed roof which would let in natural light. As visibility was a central aspect of this case, Debono asked that Cassar be called once again to testify about his findings. Lawyer Franco Debono pointed out that the woman had testified during the inquiry, although she was yet to give evidence during the compilation of evidence against her alleged captor, with the cross examination that entails. He highlighted the fact that she had asked to radically alter her testimony on the same day she had given it to the inquiry, to say that she had called up the accused and gone to meet him of her own accord. Debono also insisted that a doctor must be summoned to explain why she was unable to testify after over a month. Debono slammed the evidence given by a court appointed architect, saying he had been “caught in a lie” when he exhibited a site plan which didn't feature the many gun ports. There was “ample sunlight” Debono argued,aside from a 40m stretch of darkness. The lawyer asked why the woman, who had not been retained in any way, had made”not even a feeble attempt to escape”.

Lawyer Franco Debono pointed out that the woman had testified during the inquiry, although she was yet to give evidence during the compilation of evidence against her alleged captor, with the cross examination that entails.

He highlighted the fact that she had asked to radically alter her testimony on the same day she had given it to the inquiry, to say that she had called up the accused and gone to meet him of her own accord.

Debono insisted that a doctor must be summoned to explain why she was unable to testify after over a month.

He slammed the evidence given by a court appointed architect, saying he had been “caught in a lie” when he exhibited a site plan which didn't feature the many gun ports. There was “ample sunlight” Debono argued,aside from a 40m stretch of darkness.

The lawyer asked why the woman, who had not been retained in any way, had made”not even a feeble attempt to escape”

At the end of the sitting, magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit decreed that she had seen sufficient ‘prima facie’ evidence for the man to be indicted. The court will deliver a decree on bail from chambers.

Inspectors Josric Mifsud and Paula Ciantar prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Yanika Vidal were defence counsel.
Lawyers Ludvic Caruana and Janice Borg appeared parte civile.