Victim forgives aggressor, says they are now friends

Darren Psaila, 35 of Zabbar, was handed a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to injuring another man, with whom he has since become friends.

The court heard that the accused had been constantly at loggerheads with a certain Edgar Apap, with both men filing reports against each other over several arguments.

On 8 August, 2011 a verbal argument between the two men escalated when Psaila smashed the windscreen of Apap's vehicle. He also damaged the vehicle by kicking at its side panels.

Almost a month later, on 31 October, Apap left the Zabbar Social Club at around 7pm. Walking down the street he heard footsteps following him and saw the accused running towards him with a brown object in his hand. Psaila hit the victim with the object and lacerated his arm. The accused told his victim that had it not been for children that were present in the street at the same time, he would have continued beating him.

Psaila told the court that he had been provoked into attacking the victim. "Apap had made gestures at me, so I picked a piece of pipe to defend myself just in case it gets nasty," the accused said, arguing that he did not trust the other man.

When Apap left the club he called out to the accused, referring to him as 'a chicken'. "I went at him and hit him with the pipe, telling him to leave me in peace. Later I handed the pipe over to the police," Psaila said.

Psaila pleaded guilty to grievously injuring Apap and damaging his vehicle, but argued against the charge of having the intent to cause grievous bodily harm to his victim.

During the procedures, Apap informed the court that he had forgiven Psaila and dropped his charges against him. "We've sorted out differences and now we even go out drinking together," he said.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke acquitted Psaila of having the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and considering the dynamics of the incident, decreed that an effective jail term was not the ideal punishment. Psaila was handed a year's jail term suspended for two years. He was also ordered to pay €640.93 in court expenses within the next six months.

Inspectors Chris Pullicino and Sylvana Briffa prosecuted.