A vibrant man, jeweller, tennis player and now fighting for his life

Joe Carabott, 67, was an active and vibrant elderly man, who played tennis regularly and still ran his jewellery shop in Zurrieq.

But all this changed on the evening of Friday 25 August when three robbers entered his shop, tied him up, beat him and made off with jewellery and cash.

MaltaToday columnist Josanne Cassar, a friend of Carabott’s family, writes today about the family’s ordeal.

“Joe Carabott is now in the ITU, certified to be in danger of dying. His family does not know if he will survive. If he does make it, they do not know what type of quality of life he will have… The family is traumatised, distraught and above all, very angry,” Cassar writes in her weekly column.

On Tuesday, 29 August the police charged three people with the attempted murder of Carabott, among other charges. Donna Sciberras, 29, and Moroccan nationals Zuhair Hadoumi, 26, and Mohamed Anas Boualam, 37, pleaded not guilty and are currently in custody. The case against them continues.

Sciberras had on two previous occasions – 2015 and 2019 – attempted similar hold-ups on an elderly man and an elderly wheelchair user.