A man was today jailed for almost two-and-half years after he was found guilty of stabbing a driver in a road rage incident in Zebbug three years ago. 

Frankie Falzon, 36, from Zebbug, had originally been charged with attempting to murder fellow hometown resident Philip Micallef but the prosecution then changed the charge to that of grievous injury. 

There was also other charges including the possession of a knife during the commission of crime, breaching public peace, driving under the influence of alcohol and breaching the conditions of a conditional discharge. 

The incident took place at around 8.45pm on April 17, 2011, in Main Street, Zebbug, when Mr Falzon was driving through the street with his wife and three children. Mr Micallef, accompanied by his wife, was driving in the opposite direction. 

As the road narrowed and both cars could not pass, both men refused to reverse and were in a deadlock for a few minutes. Eventually, after having been convinced by his daughter, Mr Falzon started to reverse. 

According to Mr Micallef, when the two cars were next to each other, Mr Falzon started hitting his car with his hands so he got out of the car to check if any damage had been done and to take note of Mr Falzon's registration number. 

When he saw this, Mr Falzon also alighted and went next to him. Without speaking to him, the accused touched him and went back into his car. He felt nothing and it was only when his wife pointed it out that he realised he was bleeding. 

At that point, Mr Micallef's wife got out of the car and went to take Mr Falzon's car keys so he wouldn't leave. 

But Mr Falzon's version was different. He claimed that it was Mr Micallef who started hitting his car on the side where his children were. He said he feared for his life and the well-being of his family so he grabbed a knife he kept in his car and used it to defend himself. 

The court heard how the police carried out a breathalyser test and was found to have a higher alcohol level than allowed. 

In her judgment, Magistrate Doreen Clarke said there were a number of factors which made the court doubt Mr Falzon's credibility in the version that he had given the police and the court. 

The magistrate noted that the case could have had far more serious consequences. The victim suffered a minor lesion to his large intestine. She also pointed out that Mr Falzon had failed to accept help for his alcohol problems. 

She jailed him for two years over this stabbing case and a further five months for breaching the conditional discharge. Apart from fining him €116, the court also ordered him to pay almost €3,000 in court expenses related to this case and banned him from driving for five years. 

Police Inspectors Joseph Agius and Kylie Borg prosecuted.