A crime of passion or a Maltese farce?
The Malta Independent on Sunday – 25 January
The minibus driver and the father
On 1 June 2006, Nadienne Grogan was waiting with her two children for the school minibus to pick them up and take them to school. However, on that morning Mrs Grogan saw her husband, Emanuel Grogan, rushing up to the bus. He suspected that she was having an affair with the driver, David Debono.
Mrs Grogan, in terror of her husband, would not leave the bus and a chase thus ensued, with the schoolchildren on board, until the bus reached a church school in San Gwann. Mr Grogan got out of his car and went to remonstrate with the minibus driver, who locked the vehicle’s doors, escaped from the opposite side and rushed to take refuge inside the nuns’ school.
In February this year, the Small Claims Tribunal decided that the Lm1,000 claim made by Mr Debono in respect of the damage to his minibus caused by Mr Grogan was excessive and refused the claim. Mr Debono appealed and the Appeals Court, presided over by Judge Philip Sciberras, found an inconsistency in that the tribunal had based its judgement on the fact that Mr Debono had not testified, when the judgement itself makes it very clear that Mr Debono did testify. The Appeals Court thus annulled the tribunal’s sentence and deferred the case until February for a final decision.
6 Comments Comment
Reply to Corinne Vella Click here to cancel reply
Maltese farce? Are you implying that this is a wholly Maltese trait? I beg to differ.
[Daphne – Despite the surname, I suspect the individuals involved are Maltese, don’t you?]
Of course it’s a Maltese trait. My parents did it every year, what about you?
[Daphne – Touchy touchy. I said ‘Maltese farce’ not Maltese trait. And you have to admit it’s hysterically funny. It is just typically ‘Mediterranean man’ to think his wife – probably cut off from all male contact except for the guy behind the cheese-counter – is having an affair with the minibus driver (maybe because she actually puts on something other than stretch pants to take the kids to the bus-stop.)]
Wouldn’t it be opportune to ask if Mrs Grogan and Mr Debono are living together now so that means that the husband was right in the first place.
[Daphne – I’m really not that interested. The case was about his caveman behaviour, not whether he was correct in his suspicions. And I’m not surprised she ran off with a minibus driver if this is what she had to contend with at home.]
John F: It would be far more opportune to ask how the school children felt, including the two whose surname is presumably Grogan.
I was just joking about it Daphne.
[Daphne – All is forgiven.]
Daphne, a look at the phonebook will show quite a few Grogans in Malta. The two involved in this case are both Maltese-born.