Reno Azzopardi the father of a Nicholas Azzopardi the man who was allegedly beaten up at police headquarters and later succumbed to his injuries presented a judicial protest against his daughter-in-law, her mother, and a number of others involved in the 2008 case.

The father claimed that his son’s arrest on April 8, 2008 derived from false allegations orchestrated by his wife Claudette Azzopardi and her mother Antonia Patiniott. Nicholas had suffered injuries whilst under custody and passed away at Mater Dei Hospital some days later. Mr Azzopardi also pointed his finger at collusion or gross negligence of a social worker assigned by Agenzija Appogg and members of the police force, former minister for home affairs, and others.

In his judicial protest, the applicant held that whilst his son’s death was neither accidental nor self-inflicted, but the consequence of an action or serious dereliction of duty by members of the police force, shortcomings in the medical care given at Mater Dei Hospital, contributed to Nicholas’s demise. The court experts assigned the case was also accused by Mr Azzopardi of blatant shortcoming. The applicant alleged that details were covered up and evidence was hidden or destroyed.