A man who was held by the police in preventive custory for nine months was set free today after an appeals court overturned his conviction on charges of having punched a policeman.
Florinel Nitu had been found guilty of assaulting a policeman who had intervened to stop a fight in St Paul's Bay.
He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment.
In spite of his appeal he was kept in preventive custody, but an appeals court today revoked the conviction. The man was only found guilty of causing bodily harm to a woman involved in the disturbance. He was found not guilty of assaulting the officer.
The man was sentenced to one month imprisonment and was released because of the time served in preventive arrest.
Lawyer Roberto Montalto was defence counsel.