A Finn who seriously injured a man after smashing a bottle in his face was this morning granted bail but ordered not to leave home in Malta before 8am and return by noon.

Tatu Antero Oksanen, 33, allegedly attacked Christopher Vassallo, 33, from Zabbar, on the night of January 3 in Paceville.

Mr Vassallo told a court earlier this week that the Finn was trying to break into his van when he confronted him. The victim testified that the Finn threw him to the ground before breaking a wine bottle against the van and slicing the left side of his face.

He denied hitting back and injuring the Finn, who appeared in court with two black eyes.

Defence lawyer Franco Debono requested bail and said Mr Oksanen, who is a soldier and works as a peacekeeper, would respect the bail conditions imposed upon him.

His friends would act as guarantors.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit granted bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a guarantee of €20,000.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Angie Muscat are appearing for the accused. Inspector Elton Taliana is prosecuting while lawyer Michael Schriha is appearing for Mr Vassallo.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.