A man was jailed for seven years after jurors found him guilty of acting as an accomplice in the attempted murder of a police officer in a Qormi shoot-out six years ago.

Mario Vella, 28, of Sta Venera, was found guilty by seven votes to two of being an accomplice during a stand-off that lasted hours in Mill Street, Qormi on February 15, 2005.

The jury found him guilty unanimously of inciting another person to try to kill the officer and disobeying, threatening and assaulting police officers in Qormi.

Defence lawyer Edward Gatt said his client, known as In-Nanak, would appeal the conviction of acting as an accomplice. However, they would not appeal the punishment.

Minutes after the sentence was read out by Mr Justice Michael Mallia, Mr Vella broke down in tears as he was hugged and comforted by family members.

In his submissions before punishment, Dr Gatt argued that his client ended up in a situation where he depended on Mario Pace, known as Il-Pinzell, for his drug addiction. He appealed to Mr Justice Mallia to show mercy.

“Mario Pace ruined his life because he wanted to act as Scarface,” Dr Gatt said.

Lawyer Aaron Bugeja, from the Attorney General’s Office, pointed out that the jurors’ decision indicated that they understood the nature of Mr Vella’s case, who had been caught up in the “current” because of his drug dependency.

The shoot-out was sparked off when Mr Pace’s mother, Giovanna, reported to the police she believed her son had fired a shot at her front door following an argument.

Lawyer Maxine Cassar, from the Attorney General’s Office, also prosecuted.

Lawyer Anġlu Farrugia formed part of the defence team.