A British national has been acquitted of grievous bodily harm charges following a poolside altercation at the Seabank Hotel in Mellieħa last July, after the court determined that the man who later died had suffered a fatal brain aneurysm unrelated to the incident.
The case revolved around a confrontation between British tourist Liam Joseph Stacey, 29, and a group of Maltese men at the hotel pool area. The altercation, partly captured on video, began when Stacey was struck in the face by Roderick Sciortino, causing him to fall over his young daughter. Stacey retaliated with a punch.
Sciortino was later hospitalised and passed away on July 31, after life support was withdrawn. However, a post-mortem examination confirmed that his death was caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm and not by any injury sustained during the fight.
Medical experts, including medicolegal specialist Mario Scerri, testified that Sciortino showed no external injuries consistent with trauma. A consultant neurosurgeon confirmed that the aneurysm rupture was not related to physical impact.
“It was a purely pathological bleed, not due to an injury,” Scerri testified, noting that Sciortino’s blood pressure was critically high at the time and his alcohol levels were elevated.
Pathologists Safraz Ali and David Pisani concluded that Sciortino’s death was due to natural causes, describing it as “hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy complicating a subarachnoid haemorrhage secondary to a ruptured artery aneurysm.”
The court held that the evidence “clearly refuted” the grievous bodily harm charge, noting that the alleged nasal fracture was an old injury dating back to 2018. It concluded that Stacey’s actions were proportionate and carried out in self-defence after being provoked and physically attacked.
Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech remarked that the “ill-mannered, boorish and aggressive behaviour” of Sciortino and another man, Jesmond Portelli, had instigated the incident. “If there was a victim in this incident, it most certainly was the defendant and his family,” the court stated.
The magistrate praised the prosecution and defence for their professionalism and acknowledged the cooperation between Maltese and British authorities, including UK police inspector Tonya Cook, whose assistance was described as “invaluable.”
The prosecution was led by AG lawyer Brandon Bonnici, assisted by police inspectors Bradley Grima and Clayton Camilleri. Lawyer Stefano Filletti appeared for the accused, while lawyer Rachel Tua represented the Sciortino family.
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