Driver denies criminal charges over Gharghur Mercedes crash

Man charged in connection with Gharghur car crash in that left a woman fighting for her life, was released on bail

One of the cars crashed into a garage on the roundabout corner
One of the cars crashed into a garage on the roundabout corner

A 24-year-old man charged in connection with a car crash in Gharghur last Friday that left a woman fighting for her life, was released on bail after being charged in court on Sunday.

During his arraignment before magistrate Lara Lanfranco yesterday, iGaming worker Adam Akinolu from Nigeria, pleaded not guilty to charges relating to dangerous driving and involuntary bodily harm.

Akinolu who lives in Swieqi, had been driving a Mercedes C220, when it collided with a Mercedes Benz SLK250, driven by a 28-year-old woman from Iklin on Naxxar Road.

The accused and his 24-year-old passenger, as well as the driver were hospitalised shortly after the accident. The passenger was reported to be in danger of dying.

The defence argued that this incident was not intentional, and that the accused had cooperated fully with the Police, and had provided the police with information which could lead to the prosecution of third parties.

The court had been told how police had found one of the vehicles in a garage, with two people inside it. The driver was taken to hospital where he was found to be suffering from grievous injuries. The passenger was still in a critical condition at the time of the arraignment on Sunday.

The defence argued that the accused, who has a pending application for asylum, had a valid lease agreement for a St. Paul’s Bay apartment and had cooperated with the police. Moreover, the evidence had been preserved by a magisterial inquiry.

Magistrate Lara Lanfranco acceded to the defence’s request for bail, releasing Akinolu from arrest against a personal guarantee of €2,000, and a deposit of €1,000. He was also ordered to sign a bail book four times a week.

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