Man admits to series of traffic offences while on bail for fatal Christmas eve crash

A 21-year-old man from Marsaskala has been remanded in custody after admitting to a series of traffic offences, including driving under the influence of drugs and breaching multiple bail conditions.

Stoyan Gafa appeared before Magistrate Monica Vella on Tuesday, facing charges related to a four-vehicle collision that occurred shortly after midnight on 11 February.

The court heard how the incident took place at approximately 12:30am in tal-Barrani Road in Santa Lucija.

Gafa, who was driving a Mercedes, was involved in a crash with three other vehicles, including a Transport Malta car and a Peugeot, a Ford, and a BMW. The Transport Malta vehicle belonged to officials who were carrying out their duties in preparation for maintenance work to be carried out. The other vehicles belonged to the maintenance workers.

Stoyan Gafa in a photo with the same Mercedes he crashed in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday

Gafa was also charged with causing injuries of slight nature to one official, while another official suffered grievous injuries.

Gafa’ was already facing several serious accusations prior to this latest incident. On 24 December 2025, he was allegedly involved in a fatal accident in St Julian’s that caused the death of 31-year-old Colombian national Angie Marlen Mesa Gonzalez.

In that case, he was charged with driving his father’s car without insurance while under the influence of cannabis. Furthermore, the prosecution noted he was involved in another collision on 20 December and a separate incident in Marsaskala where a person was seriously injured, both occurring while he was allegedly driving without insurance.

Inspector Clive Abela, prosecuting, informed the court that Gafa’ was in breach of two separate bail decrees issued in May 2025 and January 2026.

The prosecution argued previous bail conditions, which included a €2,000 deposit and a €30,000 personal guarantee, had failed to act as a sufficient deterrent.

It was further revealed although he wasn’t under the influence of alcohol, a urine sample taken after the latest crash tested positive for cannabis.

The prosecution requested the revocation of his previous bail and the confiscation of the associated deposits and guarantees.

Magistrate Vella deferred the case for sentencing on 19 February.

Inspectors Clive Abela and Nathan Bugeja led the prosecution, while Gafa’ was represented by legal aid lawyer Nadia Fiott.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Bonett expressed solidarity with the injured officials, saying the incident left him “with great anger” and suggesting it could have been avoided.

“Everything indicates that it happened due to great negligence and lack of respect on our roads. It could easily have been avoided,” the minister wrote.

He stressed that while laws, awareness campaigns and enforcement are important, road users must also take personal responsibility and respect regulations and other drivers. Bonett wished the officials a speedy recovery and thanked Transport Malta officers for their daily service.