Organisers cleared over death of diver in charity event

Two men charged with the involuntary homicide of a 25-year-old woman from Żabbar who died tragically in a charity dive at Fra Ben, Qawra in July 2009, have been cleared by the court.

Joseph Formosa, a qualified diver, and Ivo Caruana, a diving instructor with 27 years experience, affiliated with Atlam and licensed with the Hyperbaric Unit at Mater Dei, had organised the 11th edition of the fundraising event for which Tamara Psaila volunteered to dive.

The court heard how on that fateful morning in July 2009, at around 10.30am, Ms Psaila and her boyfriend filled in a questionnaire and then undertook a medical check-up to ensure they were fit to face the challenge. These precautions were taken even though this was a shallow dive.

Before entering the water, all participants were given a briefing on the use of the diving equipment and were told what to do in case of an emergency, the court was informed. Moreover, the need for discipline under water was stressed, a fact pointed out by Mr Caruana when testifying in the criminal proceedings. The court noted that divers had been instructed to stick together in pairs, while maintaining a safe distance to allow free movement under...