The verdict was complicated as it involved four accused charged with committing various crimes. Three men – David Calleja, 39, Anthony Joseph Portelli, a 31-year-old soldier, and Keith Caruana, 26 – were all found guilty of slightly injuring Alfred Cardona.

Caruana was also found guilty of resisting arrest while Calleja was found guilty of relapsing since he had caused the death of a woman after inflicting serious injuries on her with a shotgun.

Godwin Vella, 41, was cleared of the charges made against him.

The fight broke out over an Opel Tigra, belonging to Portelli, that was left parked in the middle of the road.

Caruana alone was charged with the attempted murder of Emanuel Farrugia, while Portelli was allegedly his accomplice. These two men were also accused of injuring Mr Farrugia slightly.

All four were cleared of seriously injuring Mr Cardona, but Calleja was found guilty of slightly injuring the man by six votes to three.

By the same number of votes, Portelli was declared to have been part of the fight in which Mr Cardona was seriously injured. This suggests the jurors were convinced Mr Cardona had been seriously injured the day of the incident, but could not pin the blame on any of the four men accused of the crime.

Caruana was cleared of trying to kill Mr Farrugia, but was found guilty of slightly injuring him with a pointed instrument, by six votes to three. Portelli was found not guilty of being Caruana’s accomplice in the alleged attempted murder by seven votes to two.

The court said it was not going to show clemency with the accused, particularly Calleja and Caruana.

Mr Justice Joe Galea Debono said Calleja had a criminal record which dated back to 1982 and collated such crimes as breaching the peace, theft, driving dangerously as well as driving without a licence and in 1982, was awarded a seven-year-and-a-half jail sentence for seriously injuring someone who later died as a result of the injuries inflicted.

The court also pointed out that Caruana had been conditionally discharged for being in possession of heroin, cocaine, LSD and cannabis. The judge said that five months later, the accused was also found guilty of threatening police and driving without a licence.

The court said it was aware of the fact that Caruana now suffered a mental disability after being involved in a traffic accident which left him with 65 per cent of mental capacity. “But it seems that neither the court judgements nor the trauma of the traffic accident succeeded in curbing his criminal tendencies,” said the judge.

Meanwhile, the court pointed out that Portelli had committed a crime he was duty bound to prevent and that he took part in a fight which left a victim with serious injuries.

All three men stood silently in the dock as the court’s judgement was read out.

The downstairs area of the court room was packed with friends and relatives of the accused, some of which wept as the court ruling was read out.

The court sentenced Caruana to 12 months’ imprisonment and ordered him to pay Lm25 in court fees.

Portelli was awarded an eight-month jail term and ordered to pay Lm25 in court fees.

Calleja was awarded a three-month jail term and was also ordered to pay Lm25 in court fees.

Senior Counsel to the Republic Mark Said led the prosecution while Dr Martin Fenech appeared for Vella and Calleja. Dr Edward Gatt and Dr Anglu Farrugia defended Portelli.