A bus driver was sentenced to 10 months in jail after it emerged he had corrupted a witness to testify in his favour after a traffic accident in which a woman sustained life-threatening injuries nine years ago.

Massimo Bonello, 43, had been acquitted of all the charges brought against him, save for that of driving his bus without a valid driving licence.

He had been fined €150.

It later transpired that a woman who had supposedly witnessed the accident and had testified in favour of the accused had in fact not been present. Mr Bonello had been in a six-year relationship with the woman and had even fathered her child.

The victim’s husband filed a complaint and criminal steps were taken against the witness who was given a two-year jail term suspended for four years and a general interdiction because of perjury.

Everything appeared to indicate that the accused was not telling the truth

Mr Bonello was also charged with complicity in perjury, complicity in the taking of a false oath and the corruption of a witness.

The supposed eyewitness testified that the accused had approached her in court on the day she was to take the witness stand and had a look in his eyes that she understood very well, having lived in constant fear of him.

The man used to threaten that he would deprive her of the custody of her child.

The accused denied the claims, saying the woman had come forward spontaneously, insisting she testifies in his defence.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea noted that everything appeared to indicate the accused was not telling the truth.

The court agreed with the defence that the law did not contemplate the offence of complicity in perjury, such a wrongdoing being catered for by the offence of corruption of a witness.

The prosecution, it added, had proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the accused had indeed corrupted the witness.

Police Inspector Kylie Borg prosecuted.