A man who threw a brick into the windscreen of his former girlfriend's car was fined €500 by a court today.

The court heard that the incident happened on March 18, 2007 during an argument in St Paul's Bay.

The accused Godwin Vella, 47, told the court that following an argument he had found Ms Montfort Ciantar damaging his flat, his van and his car. She also tried to beat him. During a struggle he accidentally dropped a stone on her windscreen.

The court, presided by Magistrate Lawrence Quintano, said that Mr Vella had no right to take the law into his hands and the court did not believe that a brick could somehow slip from his hands and damage his girlfriend's car. The court, however, felt that a prison sentence was not appropriate for this case.