Pelin Kaya’s relatives pin victim’s picture on their clothes as evidence continues to be heard in court

Civil Protection Department officials take witness stand to describe the scene of the murder and the car that rammed into Pelin

Pelin Kaya's relatives at court on Wednesday morning (Photo: James Bianchi/mediatoday)
Pelin Kaya's relatives at court on Wednesday morning (Photo: James Bianchi/mediatoday)

Pelin Kaya’s sister and relatives, each with a picture of her face pinned to their lapels, were back in court on Wednesday to hear the court case against Jeremie Camilleri, who is accused of Pelin’s murder after knowingly driving into her in Gżira.

Pelin was killed an hour into her 30th birthday last January, when a black BMW rammed into her and killed her while walking in front of the Paul & Rocco petrol station in Gżira at 1am.

During Wednesday’s court hearing, Dr Chris Role testified that he had issued a certificate of sound mind in Camilleri’s regard, in effect clearing him for interrogation.

After Role, several members of the Civil Protection Department took to the witness stand to describe the scene of the murder and the car that rammed into Pelin.

Hours after Pelin’s murder, CCTV footage circulated online showing the BMW heading directly towards her, prompting police to charge the driver, Jeremie Camilleri, with murder.

In previous testimonies, officers described arriving at a scene of “complete chaos,” finding the BMW lodged in the facade of the Gzira KFC outlet, debris and rubble strewn all over the area.

Camilleri walked away from his car unscathed and got aggressive with onlookers and the police. He had to be subdued by a taser gun before being arrested.

Before being charged with Pelin’s murder, Camilleri had been placed on probation after admitting to two petty thefts in which health supplements worth a total of €92 were stolen from Attard and Sliema on 2 January, 2023.

But he had also breached the conditions of a probation order that had been issued to him upon his conviction for another offence by a court in Gozo in February 2021.

The accused had entered a guilty plea over the thefts in a bid to obtain a conditional discharge or probation order by way of punishment.