A man who swore at a warden and knocked her cap off her head in a fit of rage has been sentenced to seven months behind bars. 

Joseph Cini angrily confronted warden Natalina Said in June 2017 as she was booking him for a double-parking offence. 

Ms Said told the court how Mr Cini had humiliated her in public, swearing and gratuitously insulting her. 

While testifying, Mr Cini denied having insulted the warden and said that if he knocked Ms Said's cap, it had been inadvertently while gesticulating, as Ms Said was tall.

He however acknowledged that he had been angry at the time, as he felt the warden was picking on him despite several other cars also being double-parked. 

The court, presided over by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, noted that Mr Cini had a "colourful and voluminous" criminal record, with previous convictions for similar offences. 

"It appears the accused never learnt from his past mistakes," the magistrate noted. 

Mr Cini was handed a seven-month sentence and fined €4,500.