Paul Bailey's Porsche didn't touch the grass before losing control, expert tells court

A court expert has told the magistrate compiling evidence in the Paqpaqli case that Paul Bailey’s Porsche did not stray onto the grass before it lost control and crashed into spectators.

This is expected to be seized upon by the man’s defence counsel as the evidence phase of the case draws to a close.

Bailey and the 13-member core organising committee for Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina 2015 - Tonio Darmanin, Tonio Cini, Agostino Degiorgio, Jonathan Tonna, Kevin Perry, Melvin Haber, Ian Keith Cilia Pisani, Jonathan Bruno, Julian Mannara, Christopher Sultana, David Bugeja and Brian Gatt - are accused of involuntarily causing grievous bodily harm, as well as damage to various motor vehicles, through imprudence, carelessness and non-observance of regulations.

The defendants are arguing that the blame for the incident lied with the event organisers, for ignoring safety concerns and letting the public stand at dangerous areas of the track behind crash barriers which were not fit for purpose.

The event organisers, including the Malta Community Chest Fund insist that the accident was Bailey’s fault.

On Friday, Magistrate Aaron Bugeja heard witnesses recount how Bailey had got out of the crashed vehicle and say he was sorry as he surveyed the scene of devastation his out of control car had caused.

Court-appointed expert Martin Bajada testified about his role in coordinating the tasks of various experts appointed by the inquiring magistrate after the accident.

A team of German experts from Porsche were appointed by the magistrate to assist the court experts in the various tests carried out on the damaged vehicle.

Their knowledge was indispensable in downloading data from the car which had gone into crash mode and needed to be re-started, Bajada explained. Even the removal of a rear wheel took some three hours since it required a specific procedure.

Court expert Quentin Tanti had been appointed to establish the dynamics of the accident and what could have led to it. The car did not clip the grass before the loss of control started, he said, though it was on very edge of the tarmac and the grass.

The compilation continues in October

Police inspectors Josric Mifsud, Silvio Magro and Hubert Cini are prosecuting.

Lawyers Giannella DeMarco and Stephen Tonna Lowell are counsel to Paul Bailey.

Lawyer Joe Giglio is counsel to Tonio Darmanin. Lawyer Stefano Filletti is counsel to Brian Gatt and Julian Manara.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi is defence counsel for Ian Cilia Pisani, Kevin Perry and Chris Sultana. Other members of the Paqpaqli team are being assisted by Dr Michael Sciriha, Dr Raphael Fenech Adami and Dr Albert Zerafa.

Lawyers Roberto Montalto, Michael Grech,  Alessia Zammit McKeon, Franco Debono, Amadeus Cachia, Reuben Farrugia and Shazoo Ghaznavi are among the other parte civile lawyers.