A Labour local councillor “took the law into his own hands” and damaged a number of stone balustrades, which the mayor of Attard refused to remove, because he was under pressure.

John Bonnici, 62, lost his temper and, using a piece of wood, smashed the stone balustrades that sit on the church parvis and which he promised a number of constituents he would remove, Police Inspector Elton Taliana said in court.

The vandalism was discovered on July 16 last year and when the police questioned Mr Bonnici about it at the time he denied any involvement. Witnesses came forward only recently giving a different account to Mr Bonnici’s version, the officer informed the court.

Mr Bonnici’s lawyer, Maria Azzopardi, told the court the band club, of which her client was also a committee member, put a lot of pressure on him to have the balustrades removed. She added that the masonry impeded access to disabled people and he had promised a number of constituents that he would remove the balustrades.

The inspector said that, being a councillor, the accused should have been the one to set an example instead of taking the law into his own hands. The council, he added, reported it cost €350 to repair the damage.

Mr Bonnici pleaded guilty to damaging the balustrades.

Magistrate Edwina Grima, after taking into consideration the admission and the fact that he would pay the council back, handed down a five-month jail term suspended for one year. The Nationalist Party condemned the vandalism and said it expected the Labour Party to take action against Mr Bonnici. The PL has not yet taken a stand on the future of the councillor.

Alternattiva Demokratika, which has a councillor in the locality, said vandalism was never justifiable and any disputes should be addressed through discussion.