95-year-old pitbull attack victim had once been assaulted by grandson, court told

The 95-year-old grandmother who was killed by her grandson’s pet pitbulls in her own home last year, was afraid of her grandson, having previously been assaulted by him, a court has heard.

Rosemarie Barbara, daughter of Inez Galea, took the witness stand in the compilation of evidence against André Galea, her nephew. Galea is charged with the involuntary homicide of Inez Galea, who was killed by his dogs in September 2020.

An emotional Barbara recalled how around an hour before the tragic incident, she had visited her mother together with her daughter. Inez had sent her granddaughter to buy some milk from a nearby convenience store and after the girl returned, at around 3.20pm, Barbara and the daughter had left.

The witness told the court that that day, the door to the inner yard had been locked. She explained how her mother would often complain about the mess left by the dogs, that were allowed to roam freely around the house. The accused lived upstairs, she said.

The victim would complain about the “thick layer of faeces” that the dogs left in the yard and would point out that André had not cleaned up after them. “She would not even put a broom out there,” the victim’s daughter said.

Her mother would sleep with a handkerchief to her nose due to the unbearable stench from the yard, she said.

“Mummy often told me that she wasn’t safe,” Barbara told magistrate Ian Farrugia. The elderly woman also seemed to be, “very afraid of André” she said, explaining that her mother had told her that the accused had pushed her and made her fall flat on her face on two separate occasions.

André’s father would go on holiday while leaving her to look after her grandson, sometimes even cooking his meals, said the witness.

Barbara was in tears as she recalled how her mother would insist on doing the household chores at 95 years of age and would even serve her coffee on a tray. The elderly woman had resisted Barbara’s offer to move in with her, insisting that she wanted to live in the house that she had bought with her late husband.

André had taken over the house after Barbara’s sister died of cancer four years ago, throwing out his relative’s belongings, she said.

Barbara had gone to visit her mother for three days in succession, just a week before her death, because Inez’s electricity supply had been cut off on 30 August. Inez would never go out without her pet Chihuahua, Barbara said. The small dog was also killed in the attack.

She had only left her mother’s house minutes before receiving an urgent call informing her of the incident, quickly turning around and driving back to Msida to find first responders attempting to gain entry to Inez’s house. She explained that at first she had thought that her mother might have fallen over and hurt herself. “But then they told me…” Barbara said, her voice trailing off into sobs.

The case continues in January.

Inspector Colin Sheldon is prosecuting. Lawyer Charles Merceica is defending the accused.
Lawyer Mario Mifsud appeared for the victim's family