Kenneth Gafà sentenced to 35 years behind bars for murder of ex-girlfriend

A brief scuffle broke out in court this morning when distraught family members seized their last opportunity to avenge the death of a woman whose killer was being led away, having just pleaded guilty to her murder. 

Moments before, a court had sentenced 42-year-old Marsa resident Kenneth Gafà to 35 years in prison, after he admitted to the 2010 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Christine Sammut.

Sammut had suffered extensive gunshot injuries to her neck, chest and hands after Gafà shot her twice at close range with a shotgun as she was sitting in her car outside a Zebbiegh bar, waiting to pick up a friend on the evening of 11 December 2010. 

Sammut died of her injuries shortly after her arrival at hospital.

The court had heard how Gafà had never accepted that his relationship with Sammut had ended, and had become obsessed that she was in a relationship with someone else.

He would stalk and threaten her continuously, on occasion hiding near her front door so he could burst in when she arrived home to check if there were any men hiding inside. Gafà had gone so far as to request an itemised mobile phone bill from her service provider to check who she was talking to.

Judge Antonio Mizzi observed that Gafà had cultivated an obsession that if Sammut was not going to be with him, then he would not allow her to be with any other man.

In addition to the homicide charge, Gafà also pleaded guilty to being in possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possessing a firearm without a licence, discharging a firearm in a public place and causing voluntary damage.

The guilty plea comes after a plea-bargaining agreement had been reached between the prosecution and the defence. Had he pleaded otherwise, Gafà would have faced a trial by jury and a possible life sentence.

The accused made no reaction to the sentence, only showing concern at the €7,000 in costs, which he had been ordered to pay.

A brief tumult was caused as the victim's brother tried to attack Gafà while he was being led away. He was restrained by another family member. “Go spend the rest of your life in prison, l***!” shouted the victim's daughter, whose mother died when she was 15 years old. 

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, who was appearing parte civile for the victim’s family, explained to Judge Antonio Mizzi that the family had suffered unimaginable hardship as a result of the murder.

In later comments to the press, Azzopardi explained that the man, who was the victim’s brother, was forced to take over his deceased sister’s business, raise her daughter and take care of their mother alone, whilst also running his own business.

The judge, in a nod to the unwanted turmoil which the family had been through, told the man who attacked the accused to “light a candle and thank God” because he would normally be joining Gafà in prison for 30 days.

Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and lawyer Nadia Attard prosecuted.

Lawyer Malcolm Mifsud and Joseph Mizzi were defence counsel to Gafà.