A Libyan man who was assaulted with a baseball bat had made his aggressor’s life a misery, leaving bags of dog excrement outside his door and breaking his belongings, a court heard yesterday.

Magistrate Ian Farrugia sentenced 51-year-old Pierre Buhagiar to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for three years, after he grievously injured his neighbour Isam Mohamed El Shahuni on Friday evening.

While handing down the maximum sentence, Magistrate Farrugia ruled that Mr Buhagiar had acted in a moment of “sudden passion and mental excitement” when he assaulted Mr El Shahuni, who had entered his property and challenged him to a fight.

This man has been making my client’s life a misery and is known to the police. He is notorious

Mr Buhagiar did not contest his arrest and pleaded guilty to assault.

Defence lawyer Edward Gatt argued that his client’s actions, while wrong, were the result of continued harassment.

He said Mr El Shahuni, who lives in a flat above Mr Buhagiar’s, had for several years been leaving bags of animal excrement outside the 51-year-old’s front door and in the common areas of their Mellieħa apartment block. He had also used threatening language, broken his roof garden furniture and damaged his motorcycle.

“This man has been making my client’s life a misery and is known to the police. He is notorious, has a lengthy criminal record and has to realise that he’s living in Malta and this behaviour is not tolerable,” Dr Gatt told the court.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Nicholas Vella agreed that Mr Buhagiar’s actions were not premeditated, as he was unable to reflect due to irrational passion at the time of the incident. Mr Buhagiar was also ordered by the court not to approach Mr El Shahuni, who is due to appear in court over the same incident next week.