Why I deleted the ‘cockroaches’ post.

If you’ve seen the story you know what I’m talking about. Or maybe you spotted the report on other websites who commented on what I posted. Or maybe you saw a link on Facebook.

If you haven’t seen it, no harm done, you can ignore what follows.

I want to leave on the record however one simple fact. The story was absolutely true. I did not delete my own post because I found it had been false. I have in my possession photographs that prove it and prove where they were taken.

I feel I must say this because trolls led by Ray Azzopardi, the Labour Councillor who wanted and wants any reference to Daphne Caruana Galizia wiped from the face of the earth, are saying I deleted the post because its content had been a lie.

It is of some comfort, slight though it may be, that even Ray Azzopardi and his patrol of haters would rather assume the story to be false than think it might be true. They have enough humanity in them to prefer to think it is easier for someone to invent such a story than for someone to do what the story reported.

That is why I decided to publish in the first place. Because the horror we have come to, I felt, needed to be known.

Why did I not then stand by my decision to publish? Because a member of Daphne’s family asked me to remove the post and I would rather respect their wishes than avoid being called a liar by Ray Azzopardi and others.

They suffer enough distress as it is and I regret having added to it today.

I am not sure I was right posting the story. I am not sure I was right removing it. Sometimes I’m not sure what choice to regret.

I am committed to say the truth and I wish I did not have to hurt the relatives of an entirely innocent murder victim in the process. Unsure which choice was a mistake, I am sure one of them was.

I apologise.