A man was acquitted on the ground of legitimate self defence after a chance encounter at a public garden between two rival families ended up in a violent row and a badly injured knee.

Christopher Zahra, 36, from Cospicua had been accused of having on the evening of August 12, 2014 seriously injured James Muscat in the course of a brawl sparked off in public by female relatives of the two.

The court, presided by magistrate Audrey Demicoli, heard how the accused had accompanied his elderly mother and some other relatives to the garden in Archbishop Gonzi Square, Kalkara at around 9pm on the day of the incident.

An argument broke out between female relatives of the accused and those of the victim who happened to be seated on a nearby bench.

As the women's bickering escalated, the accused and the victim reportedly also entered the fray.

The victim had testified that he had merely told the women to stop since they were frightening the children. However, the accused had challenged him to a fight and had then punched him straight in the face, the court was told. The accused had then allegedly kicked his victim relentlessly as the latter fell to the ground, the man had recalled in court.

The accused, on the other hand, testified that he had been engaging his young nephew in a game on his iPad when the argument broke out.

Noting the victim's allegedly menacing attitude towards his elderly mother and fearing for her safety, the accused said he had intervened especially after the victim had threatened "to fetch a shotgun and reduce the accused to a wheelchair-bound state" the court heard.

The accused admitted to having merely pushed away the victim but strongly denied having kicked the man after the latter had fallen to the ground.

The court observed that the version of events as recalled by the accused and other relatives who had witnessed the whole episode, was more credible than that supplied by the victim.

The court declared that it was morally convinced that the accused had acted in legitimate self defence so as to protect his mother, especially after the victim had threatened to fetch a weapon.

An orthopaedic specialist had testified that the victim could have injured his knee as he fell over while his leg was trapped between the metal bars of the garden bench.

The court acquitted the accused since the evidence showed that this was a case of legitimate self defence.

Inspector Robert Said Sarreo prosecuted.

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi was defence counsel.