A man who doused a tourist boat with four litres of petrol and set it alight was yesterday jailed for three years and three months after he pleaded guilty rather than face a trial by jury.

Joswil Galea, 29, from Pietà boarded the Mermaid at 4 a.m. on September 26, 2007 and torched it. The boat, owned by Paul Zammit, exploded and he sustained serious burns. It was berthed in Buġibba and the explosion had almost set alight a boat close by, the Romantica.

Jonathan Grech, 29, and his father George, 60, both from St Paul’s Bay, are undergoing proceedings accused of complicity in the crime. They are also accused of torching the boat Comino Princess on September 8, 2000.

Mr Galea pleaded guilty to setting fire to the boat with the intention of causing serious damage to it.

When pronouncing sentence, Mr Justice Michael Mallia took into consideration the fact that Mr Galea had been jailed for three months in 2003 for falsification of documents and again in 2007, for five months, for seriously injuring a person.

He noted that Mr Galea had cooperated with the police during the case and filed an admission before the jury could get underway.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto appeared for Mr Galea.