Five members of the same family who injured two police officers during a wedding reception in 2011 have had their suspended sentences converted to effective jail terms by an Appeals Court which held that drunkenness was no justification for violence.

Mr Justice Michael Mallia ruled that by taking into consideration the fact that they were drunk at the time of the brawl, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli “seemed to justify” their actions when this could never be acceptable.

Given the seriousness of the case and the fact that the police were assaulted “for no reason at all” while on the line of duty, Mr Justice Mallia converted their suspended sentences into imprisonment.

The Attorney General, on behalf of the police, had appealed against the sentence imposed by the magistrate last September, saying the offence merited harsher punishment.

Peter Camilleri, 58, the father of the groom, was jailed for a year; his twin sons Peter Paul and Jesrit-Angel, 23, were jailed for 12 months and 20 months respectively; their cousin Carren Camilleri, 33, was jailed for 14 months; while their uncle Joseph Medina, 48, was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment.

The defendants all hail from Żabbar.

The incident happened at St Anne’s reception hall in Marsascala, on September 25, 2011, at around 2.30pm when an argument broke out between two women, one of whom was drunk.