Three French fishermen admitted yesterday that they pulled a woman from her car, got in it and drove off to escape from a fight in which they had just been involved in a Paceville bar in the early hours of last Thursday morning.

Gerard Chalaca, 32, Martial Raphael Lubrano, 22 and Jerome Eduoard Maurice Raynaud, 20, were convicted yesterday after they admitted stealing a Volkswagen Polo belonging to Rita Coleiro. They also held the woman against her will.

The men had got into a fight at Fuego in Paceville, where Chalaca had slightly injured Kenneth Camilleri. They ran out, stopped Ms Coleiro and stole her car to get away. After driving off, they damaged four cars, including the stolen Polo.

They had originally been accused of slightly injuring Ms Coleiro, but prosecuting inspectors Geoffrey Azzopardi and Carmelo Abdilla retracted this charge at the arraignment.

Following their admission, the men, who are all living on a boat berthed in Marsa, were sentenced to two-years in prison, suspended for four years. Lubrano and Raynaud were each fined Lm300 and Chalaca was fined Lm400.

Defence attorney Francesco Depasquale pointed out that the men had paid for the damages seduta stante, that is, during the arraignment.