A father and son got partial satisfaction from the court after it accepted some aspects of their appeal against suspended jail terms.

The two had been handed a suspended jail term over a violent scuffle that broke out during a football match at the Ta’ Qali national stadium back in March 2012.

Carmelo Callus, a former official at the Civil Protection Department, had been to the ground with his son Jason.

A scuffle broke out when part of a musical instrument was flung by a third party, prompting the father to turn to the police officers on duty, urging them to intervene to protect his former colleagues.

However, his good-intentioned intervention was somehow misinterpreted so that his son, upon witnessing his father being roughly grabbed by the shoulder, decided to step in to the father’s assistance.

The argument escalated, resulting in Jason Callus being handcuffed and pinned to the ground. The allegedly violent behaviour spilled over to the police lock-up where the father and son duo were later taken.

The two were subsequently prosecuted and found guilty of several charges linked to the violent episode and also of breaching sports regulations intended to safeguard public order at sports grounds.

The father was handed a one-year jail term suspended for two years, whereas his son was condemned to a 6-month jail term suspended for two years.

An appeal was filed wherein the court observed that there had been conflicting versions of events at the stadium, calling for a process by the court to determine the most credible version.

Footage presented by the prosecution had been of no help in resolving this matter since no one had been summoned to point out the alleged culprits of “such disgusting and uncivilised bahaviour during the football match.”

Medical certificates presented in court further indicated that the father’s physical condition would have made it “rather difficult” for him to have behaved in the manner attributed to him.

Turning to the son, the Court observed that rather than try to take matters into his own hands, he ought to have calmly explained to the police that his father had nothing to do with the scuffle which later spiraled into a “dangerous and uncontrollable” situation.

In the light of all evidence, the court, presided over by Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti, cleared Carmelo Callus of all charges, while reducing the punishment of his son to a 3-month jail term suspended for one year.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were defence counsel.