Rowdy punter smashes glass on barman’s head

A rowdy punter celebrating a Kalkara regatta win dampened the merrymaking in March when he smashed a glass on the barman’s head after being asked to be careful with the speakers he was standing next to.

Ronnie Farrugia, 28, of Kal-kara, lost his temper and flew into a rage when Richard Vella, the Kalkara regatta club barman, asked him to be careful when standing close to the speakers inside the bar not to damage them.

Mr Farrugia got hold of a glass and smashed it on the barman’s head, police sources said.

Mr Farrugia appeared in court yesterday and pleaded guilty to seriously injuring Mr Vella, assaulting an officer at the scene of the crime and disobeying police orders.

Mr Vella has since made a full recovery.

Magistrate Edwina Grima took into consideration the early guilty plea and handed down a one year jail term suspended for four years. She also placed Mr Farrugia under a guarantee of €1,000 barring him from speaking to the victim for a year.

Police Inspector Jesmond Borg prosecuted.

Lawyers Vince Micallef and Andy Ellul appeared for Mr Farrugia.