A Libyan man who had embarked on a drunken stabbing spree following an argument that broke out on the streets of Paceville four years ago, has been jailed 12-and-a-half years and faced with bill of expenses totaling €22,000.

Ehab Zorgani, 26, had been targeted by criminal prosecution over the attempted murder and grievous bodily harm of six persons, stabbed with a sharp instrument in the course of the incident which broke out early one Sunday morning in September 2015.

The violent episode had stemmed from a heated argument that erupted when one Arab man had taken a fellow national to task for harassing women, reproaching him for giving Arabs a bad name.

As the argument between the two escalated, Mr Zorgani, not involved in the original dispute and slightly under the influence of drink, ran along the streets of the entertainment hub, knifing some six individuals, including innocent passers-by.

Proceedings before the Magistrates’ Court had resulted in a decree, one month after the arraignment, whereby it was declared that there was sufficient evidence for the accused to be placed under a bill of indictment.

However, rather than face a trial by jury, the accused pleaded guilty and was sentenced by a Criminal Court, presided over by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera, in light of a plea bargaining exercise between the prosecution and the man’s defence counsel. Besides jail, the man was also given a €100 fine and ordered to pay court expenses totaling €22,025.