A 65-year-old man was today condemned to a one year jail term suspended for two years for failing to provide a safety harness to a friend whom he asked to work on the façade of an apartment block.

The worker, Salvu Grima, was on a wooden plank held by two ropes, one of which snapped and he fell some 10 metres.

Manwel Cutajar was found guilty of failing to provide the necessary safety precautions for Mr Grima, had agreed to pay Mr Grima €50 a day.

In a court expert's report, it was revealed that the rope, bought by Mr Grima from an Italian man, had deteriorated because it had been kept in damp conditions. It was frayed in the area where it snapped.