A former part-time security guard who admitted in court this week to violently resisting police had been recruited through a security company even though he had a previous criminal record.

On Wednesday, Clyde Bon-avia, 27, of Cospicua, who worked as a security guard at Fuego nightclub for a short period, was placed on probation for the crime, which he committed while he was being interrogated over a theft case on Sunday.

Mr Bonavia’s criminal record dates back several years and includes assaulting two police officers and, in a separate case, attacking a person at Mount Carmel Hospital, Attard.

On Wednesday, he told the court he was registered as unemployed but worked part-time as a security guard at Fuego nightclub in Paceville. The court extended the period of the previous probation order which he had received over another case of theft in March 2010, bringing it up to four years.

The director of Fuego, Mark Grima, called The Times to point out that he employed Mr Bonavia for only two weeks and his employment was terminated eight months ago. “We had noticed some strange behaviour and asked him to leave,” he said.

Mr Grima said Mr Bonavia had been recruited through a security company. “Only one of our security staff was a full-time employee, the rest we recruited through agencies.”

He could not name the security company that forwarded Mr Bonavia, saying he would need to check which one it was because Fuego engaged four such agencies.

Asked if he was concerned that a security agency had proposed for employment someone who had a criminal record that included violence, Mr Grima said: “Of course I worry. We don’t use these security companies anymore now, as you may know Fuego in St Julians is closed.”

When asked about the case, a Justice Ministry spokesman directed this newspaper to the police as the entity which issues such licences. Questions sent to the police remained unanswered by the time of going to print.