Four police officers have been acquitted of beating up a man in March 2009, slightly injuring him and breaching the peace.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera acquitted Supt Antonello Grech, 39, and police constables Charles Debattista, 54, Alfred Camilleri, 51, and Joseph Tonna, 54 of injuring taxi driver Charlton Zammit and committing a crime they were duty bound to prevent.

The court heard that Mr Zammit was at a bar Element, in Bugibba, with his girlfriend Louise Schembri and his sister Maximiliana Zammit.

The four off-duty officers were at the bar when, according to Mr Zammit, one of them tried to flirt with his girlfriend. An argument ensued and a bouncer took Mr Zammit out. Mr Zammit told the court that the girls were afraid and he wanted to drive away. He tried to but was very drunk so he stopped and got of the car.

The officers, he said, beat him up outside and at the Bugibba police station.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera found the police not guilty because the two women and Mr Zammit gave different and inconsistent versions of events. Mr Zammit also stated that one of the policemen hit him on head with a revolver but none of the witnesses saw this.

She said the version of events as given by the officers was credible. They had tried to protect the girls from Mr Zammit.

Arthur Azzopardi and Chris Cardona represented the officers.