A father who got into a violent fight with his own son yesterday evening has been handed a suspended prison sentence and ordered to undergo anger management treatment by a magistrate's court.

Mario Caruana, 59, from Fgura, was accused of having seriously injured his son when he slashed his arm with a bread knife in the course of a family argument that got terribly out of hand. The victim ended up with an injury which required 15 stitches.

The court, presided by magistrate Joseph Mifsud, heard the victim testify that his father flew into a rage when the two began to argue inside the family home at around 6.00pm yesterday.

The son declared that he was willing to forgive his father as long as the accused agreed to do something to curb his temper. The witness said that there had been frequent episodes of violence in the past.

The accused pleaded guilty and was condemned to a jail term of one year suspended for 4 years. The court imposed a treatment order for 3 years so as to ensure that the man would receive help with his anger management. The court further imposed a €2,000 guarantee to make sure that the accused would abide by his obligations.

Inspector Spiridione Zammit prosecuted. Lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar was legal aid.