[WATCH] Liam Debono interview didn't include anything on PC Schembri case - Peppi Azzopardi

Peppi Azzopardi has said that the interview with Liam Debono which was meant to be aired on Xarabank this evening, but was ordered by the court not to be transmitted, did not contain any mention of the case where the teenger ran over and almost killed PC Simon Schembri.

The veteran presenter, in a statement at the start of the programme, said the court's order not to air the pre-recorded interview, after Schembri's lawyer filed a judicial application, would be respected.

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The interview, Azzopardi said, was eight minutes in length, with the rest of the programme being dedicated to a discussion on the justice system between Police Officer's Union president Sandro Camilleri and one of Liam Debono's defence lawyers, Franco Debono. The discussion is taking place as planned.

Liam Debono

"These are the facts", Azzopardi said, visibly irked and holding a hard drive with the recorded interview in his hand. "It is absolutely not true that we were going to have a discussion on today's programme of the case where Liam Debono is accused of the attempted murder of Simon Schembri."

"At no time in the interview does Liam Debono speak about this case."

He said that the programme's producers would have expected the court to see the recorded interview before Magistrate Joe Mifsud ordered that it not be aired.

"From an entire programme, Liam Debono's interview would be taking up eight minutes of its time. And after the interview, there would also be no other mention of the case," he stressed.

Azzopardi said that Xarabank had obtained the permission of children's protection agency Agenzija Appogg before carrying out the interview with Liam Debono.

"Liam Debono is 17, and, according to the law, Appogg has to give its permission every time he appears on television. But in all the times he appeared on TV, nobody got that permission, except us, because we do things the right way," he said.

Schembri refused to be on next programme

Azzopardi also said that next Friday's edition of Xarabank was planned to include a 45-minute segment on Schembri, with the police officer being awarded a "hero's trophy".

However, when Xarabank's producers met Schembri for the programme, and "as a matter of ethics" informed him that an interview with Liam Debono was going to be aired today, he said he would not participate in next week's programme if the interview with the teenager was aired.

PC Simon Schembri

"We accepted this, but this morning Schembri's lawyers files a judicial protest," Azzopardi said.

He highlighted that both Debono's and Schembri's interviews would have been recorded not live transmissions, allowing them to be edited before being shown, if needed.

"And in Liam Debono's case, he couldn't be on Xarabank at 9pm when it is aired, since his bail conditios require him to be home at that time," the Xarabank presenter said.

Azzopardi went on to acknowledge that many people criticised him for making programmes on subjects such as prison inmates.

"But now, some of those who criticised me before on Facebook, admit to me they were wrong, because in some cases, they are now personally experiencing the realities we discuss. 'My son is in prison now', some of them tell me."