A bouncer has been acquitted of seriously injuring a man after the prosecution failed to prove that he had punched the victim so hard it fractured his skull.

Greek-born bouncer Williams Dionisiios Angelos Corito, 32 was working in the bar Sinners In Heaven in Paceville on October 12, 2003 when a fight broke out inside the club involving Alan Farrugia.

Mr Farrugia testified he was with three friends when one of them was suddenly ordered out by a security official. When he asked what happened, the accused allegedly struck him on the back and the head with a hard object.

He was then carried out of the club and beaten further by the accused in the middle of the road, he claimed.

But in their testimony, two of Mr Farrugia's friends, Sinclair Sammut and Clayton Felice, gave a different version of events.

They said Mr Farrugia was drunk and first hugged the barman, then a security guard and they both fell to the floor. At that point, he was carried out of the club. They followed him soon afterwards and they found him in the middle of the road, injured and covered in blood.

A third, independent witness who was outside the club said she saw the bouncer pushing the victim, who appeared drunk.

As he was pushed, the man fell to the ground, got up and went up to the bouncer again, however, this time the bouncer punched him in the head.

Sarah Micallef could remember that she heard a loud cracking sound as he fell a second time and his head hit to the floor. Because she was a nursing student, she tried to help him.

When asked for a description of the victim's aggressor, however, she gave a different description to that of the accused and could not identify him in court.

A medical doctor, Jonathan Joslin, testified that Mr Farrugia had a fractured skull, which was pressing against his brain. He said that punches did not usually result in this sort of injury, pointing out that the wound was more compatible with a fall or blunt trauma.

Magistrate Miriam Hayman said there was no consistent evidence explaining Mr Farrugia's injuries and found the bouncer not guilty of seriously injuring him, breaching the public peace and breaching the conditions of a previous release.

Police Inspector Martin Sammut prosecuted.

Lawyer Joseph Giglio appeared for Mr Corito.