Witness recalls accused in Marsalforn hit-and-run case telling him 'What’s the fuss?'

A key prosecution witness told the Gozo Court that the man accused of seriously injuring five people in a Marsalforn hit-and-run incident laughed when confronted about the injured victims moments after the crash.

The testimony was given by Luke Cauchi during the compilation of evidence proceedings against Hassane Soutra, a 53-year-old Moroccan national accused of causing grievous injuries in an early-morning incident on Triq Marsalforn on Sunday, 21 December 2025.

Soutra is charged with driving at excessive speed, causing grievous bodily harm to five people, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Taking the witness stand, Cauchi described witnessing what he said lasted only seconds but left a lasting impression on him. “I saw people flying into the air… it was like something out of a movie,” he told the court.

Cauchi explained that he had been driving towards Rabat shortly after leaving a party at the Maxtura nightclub, at around 3am, when he noticed a vehicle travelling at high speed in the opposite direction.

He testified that he saw one person thrown into the air before landing on the side of the road, followed by several others being struck and thrown over the bonnet of the car.

Cauchi told the court that the vehicle continued driving towards Marsalforn after the collision. He said he made a U-turn and followed it, eventually overtaking the car, stopping in front of it and blocking the driver’s path.

He said a woman emerged from the passenger side, shouting and claiming that the driver had felt unwell. Shortly afterwards, the driver exited the vehicle.

Cauchi recounted in court: “I told him, ‘Do you know what happened up there? Do you know there are people injured?' He replied, ‘What’s the fuss?’ and started laughing.”

The witness added that the accused appeared unsteady on his feet and seemed to be under the influence of alcohol.

During cross-examination, the defence questioned whether Cauchi had indeed stopped the accused’s vehicle. Cauchi maintained that he had done so, insisting that while the vehicle was no longer travelling at high speed, it had not stopped before he blocked its path.

The defence argued that CCTV footage showed the accused had already stopped driving before the witness made the U-turn. After being shown the footage in court, Cauchi stood by his version of events.

Police Inspector Keith Xerri, also testified during Tuesday’s sitting, giving a detailed account of the investigation and evidence gathered.
Xerri told the court that Soutra was informed of his rights upon arrest. At around 3:30am, police requested a breathalyser test. Soutra was informed that he could refuse the test and was also told of his right to consult a lawyer.

The inspector said that Soutra initially said he wished to speak to a lawyer and scrolled through his mobile phone, but did not make any calls. He later agreed to undergo the test, which showed a reading of 105.6mg of alcohol, far above the legal limit of 22mg.

Anticipating defence arguments on the breathalyser test, the court had ordered a blood test to be carried out. DNA samples were also ordered to be taken from the steering wheel and handbrake to remove any doubt as to who had been driving the vehicle.

Xerri testified that initial reports indicated three injured victims, but the number later rose to five. He said he went to hospital before visiting the crash site and spoke to two victims, while a third was already undergoing surgery and was reported to be in a life-threatening condition.

Answering a question from the magistrate, the inspector confirmed that the most seriously injured victim had since been transferred to Mater Dei Hospital and remained in danger of death.

The inspector also testified that later that same day, Mater Dei Hospital informed police that a man with grievous injuries had presented himself, stating that he had been involved in a traffic accident in Gozo. The man, a doctor, had driven back to Malta after being injured before seeking medical treatment.

The fifth victim, Xerri confirmed, was the accused’s partner, who had been in the car with him.

Xerri explained how investigators concluded that the accused had been driving at excessive speed, noting that “had the vehicle been travelling slowly, one of the victims would not have been thrown into the air.”

He reminded the court that due to ongoing road works in the area, the speed limit on that stretch of road was 30km/h. He added that the vehicle had not collided with any walls, pointing out that a wall impact would have caused significantly greater damage to the car.
The inspector presented CCTV footage and a series of photographs taken at the scene.

At the end of the sitting, the defence requested the accused’s release on bail. The court is expected to deliver its decree on the request at a later stage.

The prosecution is being led by Inspector Keith Xerri. Lawyers Anthea Bonnici Zammit and Delilah Vella are appearing for the accused.
Lawyers Francesca Zarb, Lennox Vella, Robert Spiteri and Ilenia Agius Debono are representing the victims.

The sitting was presided by Magistrate Jean Paul Grech.