Man admits to grievously injuring rival in Paceville argument over girls attention
Court heard that before the fight, the defendant had been flirting with a girl, but a group of other men had then captured her attention
An argument over a girl in Paceville sparked a vicious assault that resulted in one man receiving a suspended sentence on Monday after he admitted to related charges.
Police Inspector Eman Hayman and prosecutor Julian Scicluna arraigned 21-year-old Iverson Pierre Daniel, a construction worker from the Dominican Republic, under arrest before magistrate Nadia Helena Vella.
Inspector Hayman explained that at 4:00am during the night between Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September police officers in Paceville were approached by both parties, and told that they had been involved in a fight in the St Rita’s steps area. “The victim was unable to move his shoulder and was bleeding profusely from the nose,” the inspector told the court.
An ambulance arrived after the police cleared the area of members of the public. It emerged that the fight had followed an argument about a girl, said the inspector.
The defendant, who did not appear to have been injured, was taken to the police station, where it was explained to him that he was under arrest.
The victim’s injuries were certified to be grievous.
The entire incident had been captured on CCTV, added the inspector. The footage showed a group of Italian youths apparently being spoken to by the defendant. Although the interaction appeared to be good-natured initially, Inspector Hayman explained that at one point, the defendant is seen to react as if shocked at something that was said and then punching one of the men, before turning towards the victim and savagely attacking him, delivering repeated blows to his face and torso.
Exactly what had been said remains unclear, added the inspector, but said that Iverson told the police that he had been insulted. Before the incident, he had been flirting with a girl, but the group of other men had then captured her attention.
Iverson pleaded guilty to the charges and confirmed his admission of guilt after being given time to reconsider.
When discussing punishment, both prosecution and defence submitted that a custodial sentence was “not ideal in this case.”
The court declared the man guilty, and sentenced him to imprisonment for one year, which was suspended for two years.
Lawyer Ilona Schembri was legal aid defence counsel.
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