A man was this morning jailed three years and three months after he admitted to setting fire to a boat - the 'Mermaid'.

The boat was berthed at the Bugibba Jetty in St Paul's Bay.

Joswil Galea, 34, of Pieta, admitted to boarding the boat, which belonged to Paul Zammit, on September 26, 2007 at around 4 a.m.

Mr Galea threw two 2-litre containers full of petrol on the boat's bow near the engine and set the boat on fire. The fire spread and there was an explosion which damaged the boat.

The police and the Civil Protection Department put out the fire in a short time avoiding the boat's total destruction.

Mr Galea also admitted to relapsing. He had previously been jailed three months for falsifying documents and six months for seriously injuring a person.

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