The man who hid the gun which Twanny Borg, Il-Bona, allegedly fired just before he was stabbed to death, was yesterday given a suspended sentence for tampering with evidence.

Paul Borg, also known as Ix-Xu, who runs the bar of the Nationalist Party club in Marsaxlokk, hid the revolver on February 21 at about 6.30 p.m., shortly after Mr Borg was fatally stabbed in the heart.

The victim had been drinking at the bar before he allegedly got into an argument with Allan Galea, 31, who stands charged with the murder.

The gun had disappeared by the time the police arrived on the scene of the crime. It only resurfaced after the victim's brother, Frans, remembered about it when he was questioned by police. He said in court last March he "clicked" when under arrest and remembered that his friend, Paul Borg, could have taken the weapon.

The police then turned to Paul Borg, who at first claimed he had thrown the gun into the sea but then handed it over the following day.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said she took into consideration the gravity of the consequences of Paul Borg's actions but also that he had given the firearm to the police and admitted in the early stages of the proceedings.

The magistrate handed down a 14-month jail term suspended for three years.

Mr Galea has told the police the victim had shot at him before he chased him with the knife. However, Frans Borg said his brother had fired shots in the air before he was stabbed in the heart.

Police Inspectors Joseph Mercieca and Christopher Pullicino prosecuted.

Lawyers Andy Ellul and Vince Micallef appeared for Paul Borg.