Suspended sentence for father and son who injured police officers

A father and son were today jailed six months suspended for two years after they were found guilty of attacking two police officers in July 2009, grievously injuring one of them and slightly injuring the other.

The incident happened on the Gozo Channel ferry.

Delivering judgement, Magistrate Doreen Clark said the facts were relatively simple. On the day of the incident there were horse races in connection with feast of St George in Gozo as well as a police activity to commemorate police day.

A group of police officers were returning home to Malta and one of them, a policewoman, parked her car on the spot indicated to her by the Gozo Channel personnel.

As she and her friends were getting out of the car, the accused Anthony Vassallo, 61, and his son Clint, 23, parked behind her.

Mr Vassallo's wife could not get out of the car and he asked the policewoman to move her car slightly forward.

The policewoman said she could not, the accused moved his car forward and his car rested on the policewoman's.

An argument between the two followed and the accused got out of the car and started moving towards the policewoman.

In the meantime, one of the other policemen had just parked his car and was going upstairs. But he heard people shouting and when he looked to see what was happening he saw Mr Vassallo heading towards his colleagues so he went to see what was happening.

The argument then heated up and degenerated into a fight.