An appeal court yesterday revoked a man’s €200 fine and imprisoned him for a year-and-a-half for a “barbaric and savage” attack on a teenager using a broken bottle.

George Farrugia, 53, known as Iċ-Ċapalaw, had walked into a bar called Remedy in Paceville on December 5, 2003.

He broke a bottle and stabbed 18-year-old Wayne Caruana below the belt with it, the court heard.

The injuries were deemed slight even though Mr Caruana had to undergo surgery, and a magistrate acquitted him of trying to seriously injure the victim.

The Attorney General appealed, arguing that from the manner in which he attacked Mr Caruana, Mr Farrugia intended to seriously injure him.

A policeman, Warren Vella, happened to be inside the bar. He testified hearing the sound of a breaking bottle and seeing the accused approach the victim, stab him and push him up against a wall. Mr Caruana fell to the ground.

Mr Justice Michael Mallia said that after taking into consideration the circumstances of the case and seeing that Mr Farrugia had attacked the victim for no reason, he should have been found guilty of attempted serious injury.

The judge described the attack as “barbaric and savage” and said something like that should never be accepted by Maltese society.

He wanted to send a message that these types of attacks would never be tolerated by the court.

Mr Justice Mallia revoked the €200 fine and jailed Mr Farrugia for 18 months.