Fined €500 for punching neighbour

A 44-year-old Gozitan was yesterday fined €500 (Lm214.59) after he was found guilty of slightly injuring his neighbour in an argument over a parking space.

Peter Paul Buttigieg, from Għasri, was found guilty of slightly injuring Samuel Zahra on December 22, 2006, at 7.30 a.m.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard Mr Buttigieg testify that he had punched Mr Zahra in self-defence. He explained that, after he had asked Mr Zahra to remove his car from in front of his house, Mr Zahra started an argument and tried to attack him.

Taking the witness stand, Mr Zahra told the court that Mr Buttigieg had asked him to remove his car and a cordial exchange ensued.

However, as he was on his way to move the vehicle, he was hit on the head by Mr Buttigieg.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera found that Mr Buttigieg had assaulted Mr Zahra because he had parked in front of his house. She therefore found Mr Buttigieg guilty of the charges brought against him.

Comments

Karen M. Zammit Manduca (on 14/5/08)

E. Muscat is absolutely correct. The unfortunate things is that there are too many instances when people park their vehicles in front of other people's houses simply to annoy them or to leave the spaces in front of their own doors free. There is no hardship in walking a short way to one's residence but when arriving home and needing to unload heavy articles from the vehicle. I think it is only a matter of courtesy that, only provided there are other spaces available, one does not park in front of another neighbours' property for just such a reason.
It is even worse when people park in front of other's houses when the space in front of their unused garage is always left free.....and even worse is when, even though the garage is never used as such because it is used for other purposes, if anyone parks in front of the garage instead (and only when the owners' cars are taking up other parking spaces in a street), the next thing one finds is a note on the car asking that the car is not parked in front of the 'garage'!
This is simply cheeky and downright selfish but all too common an occurrency in these islands.

E. Muscat (on 14/5/08)

What is this with the Maltese people ? Why cannot I park in front of somebody's house, unless there is a garage and a no parking sign ?! Don't we all pay our road license?
I've had situations where people have slashed my tyres for parking in front of their house ? Of course you will never have proof because the chickens do it when no one is looking.

What God given right do we have over the others for the space in front of our house? Many people park in front of my house and I never say anything. Some people on the other hand think that it is theirs by law. It's so cheecky!