A driver who lost his temper upon catching sight of a local warden handing out a parking fine ended up getting a suspended prison term for assaulting and slightly injuring the officer who was carrying out his duty.

Jean Pierre Schembri, 40, was charged and later found guilty, of violently threatening, assaulting and slightly injuring the public officer. The aggressor was also convicted of using foul language.

The incident took place one morning in February 2013 in Labour Avenue, Naxxar when Mr Schembri had popped into a bank parking his van partly over double yellow lines. Upon his return, the driver caught sight of a warden snapping a photo of his vehicle for the purpose of issuing a fine.

A quarrel broke out and as the heated exchange turned violent and the public officer ended up being punched in the face and had to receive treatment at the hospital's emergency ward. Medical experts later testified that the man had suffered slight facial injuries including swelling above the nose, a bruised lower lip and a scratched ear.

In court, the aggressor argued that he had pleaded with the warden not to issue the fine since he was just about to move his van into a vacated parking bay. However, the officer had allegedly broken out into an offensive tirade and, removing his cap, pushed the driver onto the van.

However, this version of events was contradicted by the testimony of the victim himself who recalled how the furious driver had barged out of the bank and, coming up behind him, seized him and punched him straight in the face.

The court, presided over by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, heard the prosecuting officer explain how CCTV footage from the bank had shown the accused exiting the premises heading straight towards the warden. Although the physical violence was not captured on camera, the footage did reveal the demeanour of the two men before the aggression. 

The court observed that the version given by the victim had been corroborated by the testimony of other witnesses as well as by medical certificates which explained that the injuries suffered by the warden were indeed compatible to a frontal punch.

The court declared the accused guilty and condemned him to a prison term of seven months suspended for two years. It also placed the man under a two-year treatment order for the purpose of receiving anger management advice.

Inspector Josric Mifsud prosecuted.