A 39-year-old man punched a woman in the face and injured another as they walked past a bar in Birżebbuġa.

Frank Zahra was handed a 12-month prison term suspended for two years after being convicted of injuring Maroushka Salerno when he punched her in the face and of injuring Susanne Buttigieg.

The incident happened on June 6, 2004 outside a band club in Birżebbuġa.

The two women claimed they had been walking past the club when the accused tripped Ms Buttigieg.

When they confronted him, Mr Zahra threw a glass at her. An argument ensured and he hit out at both women, punching Ms Salerno in the face, splitting her lip, the court heard.

In his statement to the police, Mr Zahra said he had accidentally hit one of the girls as he turned around after he had been sitting on a metal railing, and one of them hit him with her handbag.

He said he pushed her and she tripped because of her high heels and hit her face against a wall.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said the version given by the two women was more credible and had been corroborated by a policeman. In contrast, there were discrepancies in the evidence given by the accused.