Attorney General asks for harsher punishment against driver who ruined woman’s life

The Attorney General is asking for a harsher penalty against a driver who caused life-changing injuries to a woman he mowed down on a zebra crossing.

The AG has appealed last month’s court judgment that handed down a suspended sentence on the basis of the man’s young age. Sources told MaltaToday that the appeal emphasises that the judgment does not reflect the gravity of the injuries caused to the victim.

The driver, 27-year-old Renald Aquilina, was found guilty of running over a 50-year-old bank manager in Gzira while driving at 110km/h. The accident happened in September 2016.

Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace convicted Aquilina of causing grievous injuries to the victim, with dangerous and reckless driving.

But citing his age as a mitigating factor, the magistrate proceeded to suspend a one-year prison term for four years, suspending his driving licence for three years, and imposing a €1,683 fine.

The man faced a maximum effective jail term of one year but the magistrate’s decision to hand down a suspended sentence caused outrage given that the victim had suffered 80% disability.

Prime Minister Robert Abela had also weighed in on the matter, questioning whether the judiciary was applying punishments that truly reflected the gravity of injuries caused to victims of road accidents.

The victim, Moira Cauchi, suffered a brain trauma, leaving her unable to speak properly, suffering from short-term memory loss. She had to relearn everything from scratch, even how to recognise her family.

Her husband Peter Cauchi recounted to MaltaToday earlier this month, the ordeal the family is still going through.

“My wife is 80% disabled... the brain trauma is what affected her the most. She cannot speak properly; she repeats things a lot and she has short-term memory loss. She had to learn everything... it’s like having a baby... she did not even recognise me... or the kids,” he had said.

Cauchi also rued the magistrate’s decision to hand down a suspended sentence rather than an effective jail term.
“The system is a total failure… It’s not because she is my wife. We’ve had multiple accidents like this... of people thinking they are some sort of god, thinking they can get away with anything,” he had said.