Commissioner of Police Angelo Gafa tried to put the blame on the victim, Nationalist Party MP Darren Carabott said, referring to Nicolette Ghirxi.

Carabott and fellow PN MP Graziella Attard Previ addressed a press conference on Monday, during which they referred to a Sunday Times of Malta article which showed messages Nicolette Ghirxi had sent to friends where she discussed her report to the police.

Ghirxi was found murdered in her Swatar apartment on August 12th, allegedly having been stabbed to death by her ex-partner, 50-year-old Irishman Edward Johnston. Johnston was later killed in a standoff with the police in St Julian's as he pointed a replica firearm at officers. Ghirxi's family has called for an independent inquiry into the situation, and this request has received widespread support from the public as well as various bodies and organisations.

The Times of Malta reported that on April 22nd, Ghirxi had been dissuaded from taking a risk assessment after it was suggested that the messages sent by Johnston were insults and did not contain threats.

Carabott said that Commissioner Gafa had said that Ghirxi refused the risk assessment, "but the messages show that Gafa lied to the Maltese and Gozitan people". The MP continued that the messages and proof, as well as witnesses, show that Ghirxi went to report a case of domestic violence and was then convinced not to proceed with an assessment.

"Gafa said that the victim herself felt that her situation was a low-risk case. The Police Commissioner claimed that she insisted that a risk assessment would not be necessary... He said that the victim herself did not feel in danger."

Carabott said that it cannot be that the country has a Police Commissioner "who feels comfortable going in front of the media" and "not saying things as they are".

The MP said that Gafa is lying about a victim who was killed and will unfortunately never be heard from again. "That is when you realise the kind of Police Commissioner we have in our country," Carabott remarked.

He said that the PN's position is clear, which is that Gafa's position as Police Commissioner is no longer tenable as Gafa "always jumps to the aid of politicians".

MP Attard Previ said that she had chosen to be cautious when speaking on the case when the news was breaking, as she wanted to properly hear what the authorities and Ghirxi's family and friends had to say. "I wanted to hear all this before declaring that the system had failed."

With fifteen days now having gone by since the news of Ghirxi's murder, Attard Previ said that Ghirxi's death was a result of "shortcomings of the system".

She continued that the Police Commissioner is not only giving "false information and lying" but is also putting the blame on the victim.

Speaking further regarding failures of the system, she said that if a report is made on Thursday, there is a chance that it would still not have been opened by the following Monday. "When will we take things seriously?" She questioned. "What are we waiting for? Another victim?"

Attard Previ remarked that domestic violence is a matter of public interest and that every law and measure against domestic violence, as well as every assistance provided to victims, should be aimed at lowering the risk of people being victims of domestic violence.

"The more details come out about the Ghirxi's femicide, the more it is confirmed that the state, structures, and institutions have again failed a victim of domestic violence."

She continued that now, more than ever before, the PN is appealing for a public inquiry to take place, "and nothing less". She said that the family and the people have the right to know the truth and that responsibility needs to be shouldered. "Shortcomings cannot continue to be hidden."

The MP remarked that how big of a problem domestic violence is needs to be understood. Referring to an answer provided by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri in response to a parliamentary question posed by Carabott, she said that Camilleri had stated that reports of domestic violence cases since 2020 have increased year on year.

"The government, the state, and the institutions need to give more importance to this situation. These are not just statistics, rather there is a tragic story behind every case." She said that behind every case, "there is a woman who has suffered emotional and physical abuse, even sexual abuse." She continued that there may also be children who have watched their mother suffer such abuse with their own eyes.

"We also cannot forget the men. Behind every case, there is a man who is acting aggressively and is not capable of communicating normally. Perhaps he has psychological problems himself or may not have the capacity to control his emotions and behaviour. Perhaps he was a victim himself, or maybe as a child, he saw domestic violence against his mother."

She said that these statistics represent people, "people who need help, terrified victims who are suffering" and in need of protection.

The MP said that the PN has always offered solutions and a hand of collaboration to the government "because we want this situation to be handled today rather than tomorrow". She commented that it needs to be an independent inquiry which reveals wholly what happened in the case of Ghirxi's killing.

Carabott and Attard Previ concluded that there is a need for a clear inquiry which gathers everything within it to prevent another situation like this from happening. They said that the PN has said that once the inquiry is completed and available, there should be parliamentary sessions allocated for the analysis of its conclusions and for Ghirxi's case to be discussed in the parliament plenary. They added that these sessions should be accessible and in a public manner.

On the matter of an independent police complaints board having been set up to deal with this case, the MPs said that an independent inquiry would encompass a wider sense of where the State may have failed and look further into different areas of the system. Additionally, Carabott said that "without prejudice" to the appointed members, it is unfortunate that the three-person police board handling this matter lacks the presence of a woman, particularly as it is dealing with a female victim of domestic violence who was murdered.