Fined for slightly injuring man

A 24-year-old man has been fined Lm200 for slightly injuring a Filipino in a fight at a Birzebbuga bar on Christmas Eve two years ago.

Johan Briffa was found guilty of injuring Claudio Priolo and breaching the peace at Cherries Bar on December 25, 2000, at about 3.30 a.m.

He was, however, cleared of seriously injuring Priolo and keeping and carrying a pointed instrument without a licence after Magistrate Antonio Mizzi ruled that Priolo's injuries were of a slight nature and that it had not been proven that Briffa had a pointed instrument.

The magistrate heard Briffa say that when he entered the bar Priolo threw a beer bottle at him and hit him on the leg. Briffa then walked up to Priolo, pushed him and punched him in the face.

Priolo fell to the ground and they started fighting until the bar owner used tear gas to stop them.

But Priolo denied throwing the beer bottle and said that while he was sitting at a table with three Filipino friends someone was pushed onto their table. He stood up and Briffa assaulted him.

The magistrate noted that while Briffa and Priolo were fighting, another Filipino involved in another brawl had lost his life.

He added that even if it was true that Priolo had thrown the bottle, Briffa had overreacted.

He noted that Briffa was a security guard and should have used his experience to calm down the situation in the bar.

Police Inspectors Walter Spiteri and Carmelo Bartolo prosecuted.