The man acquitted of trying to kill his former childhood friend but convicted of seriously injuring him in a shooting was yesterday jailed for three years.

Nazzareno Briffa, 49, from Birkirkara, was sentenced after jurors found him guilty on Saturday of seriously injuring Peter Borg on July 22, 2009 at his farm following an argument at Toni’s Bar in Birkirkara.

They found that Mr Briffa had acted in sudden passion at a time when he was not in the right frame of mind.

The court had heard that an argument started at the bar after the victim swore at Mr Briffa and told him he did not like the type of dog he kept as a pet.

Later that evening, Mr Briffa turned up at Mr Borg’s farm armed with a shotgun and fired two shots at a Banif Bank billboard. Then, as Mr Borg emerged from the property to investigate, he fired another shot at him.

The gunshot pellets hit Mr Borg all over his body, some penetrating his heart and brain.