A 29-year-old man who beat up a former Royal Marines cadet with a metal rod has been jailed for five years.

Ahmed Abdalla Yakoup, a Palestinian, had been accused, together with Omar Osman, 37, of assaulting and injuring Justin Aquilina at the Valletta Terminus and of trying to rob him. The attack caused Mr Aquilina permanent eyesight damage.

Mr Osman, who is a Somali national, subsequently fled the island. He remains the subject of a European Arrest Warrant in connection with the attack.

The case dates to October 2013 when Mr Aquilina, who was then 17, was awaiting the bus to return home from football practice at around 10.30pm. Mr Osman approached the youth and tried to punch him, prompting the youth to defend and shield himself from the blows.

At that point, Essalami Hasheem - a Libyan national who was on crutches - spotted the attack and leapt to Mr Aquilina's defence. Mr Osman disappeared, only to return with the accused armed with a metal rod and a wooden staff.

Mr Omar dealt him a blow to the back while Mr Yakoup brought the metal rod down over his eyes.

Mr Aquilina told Magistrate Josette Demicoli that as a result of the incident, he had to quit football because a further blow to the face could result in him losing his eyesight. Doctors also told him not to lift heavy weights since the strain could also result in him going blind.

Cross examined by defence lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace in 2013, the victim had reiterated that he had many dark-skinned friends and that he could not be described as a racist. "I was attacked for no reason at all. I neither knew nor had ever spoken to my aggressors," the youth had said.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared parte civile for the victim.