A drunken man stopped a car in the middle of the road, jumped on to its bonnet and tried to attack police officers with its windscreen wiper, a court heard yesterday.

Wayne Camilleri, 24, from Naxxar, was sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended for three years, for the incident that took place in Santa Venera on August 7, 2011.

The driver of the car, Joseph Agius, said he was manoeuvring out into a main road when a man signalled to him and stopped him from driving on.

As Mr Agius tried to move away, Mr Camilleri got very angry. He scratched the paintwork, swung on a door and even got into the car.

Policemen called to the scene saw him jumping on the bonnet and swearing.

He refused to get off and told them he did not care if they arrested him. They had to use pepper spray to bring him under control.

He also damaged another car during the incident.

Mr Camilleri said that he could remember drinking at a bar and then at a boċċi club but could not remember anything after that.

Instead of putting him behind bars, Magistrate Neville Camilleri gave him a suspended jail term to ensure he paid for the €4,000-worth of damage incurred.