A Qormi man was cleared of injuring a woman in a road rage incident after a court found him to be more credible than the other driver, who had threatened to kill him and his girlfriend.

Chris Vassallo, 21, had been accused of injuring Mary Farrugia, driving dangerously and negligently, threatening and slightly injuring Ms Farrugia and damaging her car.

He was only found guilty of damaging the car by banging on the bonnet after the collision, which he admitted doing. He was fined €100.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard Ms Farrugia recount that she was driving her Volkswagen Golf in Qormi on July 10 last year.

Mr Vassallo was in front of her, swerving his car. She said he had made rude gestures at her.

At one point, he suddenly swerved to the right and the cars collided, the witness said, adding Mr Vassallo got out of his vehicle and started banging hard on her bonnet.

Mr Vassallo said Ms Farrugia kept hooting her horn at him and swerved her car in front of him.

He also claimed Ms Farrugia told him and his girlfriend, who was with him in the car, she would be going back to jail thanks to them because she would kill them both.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera said she was not at all comfortable with Ms Farrugia’s version of events, adding that Mr Vassallo was more credible.

The court said Ms Farrugia had followed Mr Vassallo and she did not even exhibit a medical certificate to prove that she had suffered a fractured finger, as she claimed.

The court cleared him of all charges brought against him except for damaging Ms Farrugia’s car. Police Inspector Joseph Agius prosecuted.