A French student in Malta on holiday landed in hot water on Friday after he got involved in a fight in Paceville which left a Maltese man with grievous injuries.

Yannis Meherzi, 24, from Lyon, told the police he was drunk at the time of the altercation, which is thought to have been triggered when the alleged victim bumped into the accused. The incident happened on St Rita steps at around 3am on Friday.

The Frenchman was arraigned by Inspector Matthew Spagnol before Magistrate Claire-Louise Stafrace and was accused of grievous bodily harm, being drunk in public and disturbing the peace.

Sources told Times of Malta that the accused, who suffered a cut on his fingers, punched the victim, before smashing a bottle and striking him with it.

The defendant, who was scheduled to leave Malta on August 15, was denied bail on grounds that he had no permanent link to the island, the gravity of the charges and that none of the civilian witnesses had yet testified.

Lawyer Victor Bugeja was legal aid, while lawyer Arthur Azzopardi appeared parte civile for the victim.