A 25-year-old was fined €200 after he pleaded guilty to sending threatening messages by SMS, slightly injuring another man and breaching public order.
Siem Iseyas Araya, from Eritrea was charged after Yousif Ghabrekidan Fasi filed a report claiming that the accused had assaulted him in front of his bar, Eureka, in April 2014.
When questioned, Mr Araya denied the allegations, claiming that it was Mr Fasi who bit him in the left arm. But a medical certificate confirmed that Mr Fasi suffered slight injuries.
Some weeks after, Mr Fasi received a message from Mr Araya who threatened to kill him and challenged him to fight.
Dr Chris Chircop, acting as legal aid, said that Mr Araya claimed that such messages are allowed in his country, but Magistrate Miriam Hayman insisted that he needs to follow legislation in Malta.
He pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him and was fined €200.
Inspector Jason Francis Sultana prosecuted.