‘Incompetent’ prison director accused of unlawfully segregating 15-year-old boy

The boy, who is facing serious criminal charges, has been held under preventive arrest since 15 June. Azzopardi stressed that neither the police nor the court had acted improperly in ordering his detention, but insisted that the conditions in which he was being held were unlawful.

According to the lawyer, the minor has spent 21 days confined alone for 22 hours a day, with extremely limited interaction with other inmates.

Azzopardi alleged that Siegersma attempted to justify these conditions by telling the court that the boy was not being held in isolation, but rather in “segregation,” supposedly to protect him from bullying and prevent him from negatively influencing other inmates.

The lawyer rejected this distinction, arguing that solitary confinement is strictly regulated by law and can only be imposed under specific circumstances, while the form of segregation allegedly being imposed on the boy had no legal basis.

He further claimed that the boy's treatment was contrary to judgments of the European Court of Human Rights concerning minors in detention.

Prison director accused of obstructing court-appointed experts

Azzopardi also accused Siegersma of obstructing a court-appointed mental health expert and probation officer from evaluating the boy, despite an order issued in August.

He explained that, on 19 August, the court appointed two experts following a request by the defence, which was supported by both the police and the Attorney General.

One was a probation officer tasked with assessing the boy's needs, including his education, while the other was a forensic mental health expert appointed to evaluate his psychological wellbeing in prison.

However, Azzopardi said the prison director objected to the appointment of the mental health expert. According to Azzopardi, Siegersma wanted “his friend” to be assigned the case. Therefore, he prevented the assessment from taking place.

When the court questioned whether the prison director could see the conflict of interest, Siegersma rejected the idea entirely and kept insisting on his friend’s appointment.

To this day, Azzopardi said, the assessment of the 15-year-old prison inmate has not been carried out despite being ordered almost two months ago.

“No person in Malta can go against a court order. Let alone a public officer, let alone the prison director,” he said.

Azzopardi also called for disciplinary action against Siegersma, urging the Public Service Commission to investigate the matter if it falls within its remit.

Probation officer says she has never witnessed such treatment

The lawyer also referred to testimony given by the court-appointed probation officer, who reportedly told the court that she had never witnessed a minor being treated in such a manner throughout her 17 years of experience.

According to Azzopardi, the officer testified that even adult prisoners held in Division 6 were treated better than the 15-year-old.

The officer explained that the boy is being kept in a separate area containing a television, table and exercise bicycle, where he eats alone and has limited interaction with other inmates. The minor also reportedly sleeps alone in a room without furniture, forcing him to throw his clothes on the floor or keep them on his bed while he rests.

The probation officer had arranged to meet the boy on one occasion, only for the appointment to be cancelled because prison authorities said the minor would be participating in a four-hour activity alongside other young inmates.

The activity turned out to be a farewell party for a social worker whom the boy had never met. The boy was only allowed to participate for an hour of the four-hour activity, and missed his meeting with his probation officer.

‘He should resign’

Azzopardi also said Siegersma attempted to communicate privately with the magistrate presiding over the case before giving testimony on Friday.

According to the lawyer, the prison director had contacted the magistrate through WhatsApp ahead of the sitting in an apparent attempt to have her reconsider an earlier decree.

Azzopardi said the magistrate immediately stopped the conversation.

He questioned how the prison director could feel comfortable approaching a magistrate outside the courtroom while also allegedly refusing to comply with her orders.

The lawyer said the incident prompted a heated confrontation in court, during which he shouted at Siegersma and called for his resignation.

“At this point, I started yelling at him in the courtroom, telling him he should be ashamed of himself,” Azzopardi recalled.

“I told him he should resign and, at some point, I don't know if he was still in the courtroom, I called him a chicken.”

He also noted that the Italian ambassador had been present during the proceedings, claiming that the confrontation had created a diplomatic problem.

Calls for investigation into prison management

Azzopardi further questioned Siegersma's ability to manage the Corradino Correctional Facility, claiming that the director had told the court he was responsible only for its administrative operations.

However, the director's responsibilities extended to every aspect of prison management, including the institution's annual budget of approximately €33 million.

Azzopardi therefore called on the National Audit Office to examine whether the prison was being properly managed, stressing that the prison director does not even know his own responsibilities, let alone how to handle the budget.

“I have my reserves and suspicions, but I am not alleging anything,” Azzopardi said, stressing that he was requesting an investigation rather than making accusations of financial wrongdoing.

He also criticised the director for allegedly shifting responsibility onto subordinate prison officers instead of taking responsibility for their actions.