A man who fired a shotgun in a residential area of Balzan during an argument with two other men has been sentenced to 18 months in jail and fined €700. He was also banned from possession of a firearms licence for five years.

The case happened on January 6, 2011.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke said it appeared that the accused, Stephen Borg 32 of Birkirkara, had fired the weapon to scare the men.

The court heard that the accused had had an argument about possession of a hunting shotgun.

They ended up shouting in the street and Borg fired what appeared to a warning shot. As a consequence the other men left.

The case was not reported to the police by the men involved, and the police only got to know from an anonymous phone call.