Stephen Vella, 34 of Qormi was this morning acquitted of attempting to seriously injure his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 2011 at about 4.30 a.m. in their apartment in St Julian's.

The woman renounced all criminal action against him and they are back together.

She had earlier testified that during an argument he had punched her some four times. She went out to the balcony shouting for help. He grabbed her by the hair, pushed her onto the bed and put a pillow on her face.

She managed to kick him off and ran into another room where she tried to make an emergency phone call. He pulled out the cable and wound it around her neck for a few seconds. Then he stopped and left. 

The woman suffered slight injures.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli took into consideration that the case was started when the woman filed a police report, and that she had now renounced criminal action. 

Drs Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili were defence counsel.