Friend's pardon spares man jail over drunken assault

A man who grievously injured a friend during drunken high-jinks at a Paceville bar has been spared jail after a court noted he was still on good terms with the man he injured.

The victim had suffered a permanent scar when he was hit in the face by a flying drinks tray in December 2015, courtesy of his friend Karim-Slim Safta.

The incident occurred at around 3:30am on 27 December that year, while two had been drinking at the Havana club in Paceville. Safta had grabbed a tray of drinks and threw it at his friend to wet him.

The victim, who had been standing two metres away, had been hit in the forehead by the tray and the glasses.

The court had noted that the resulting injury was still visible from a distance of two metres.

Safta had later admitted to grievously injuring his friend.

In his judgement on the case, magistrate Anthony Vella took into consideration the fact that the pair had remained friends despite the incident and that Safta had paid the medical bills.

In its sentencing considerations, the court described the incident as “a result of horseplay between two friends.”  It held that although a grievous injury had been inflicted, a custodial sentence was not warranted in this case, conditionally discharging Safta for two years.