Ice-cream is supposed to cool people’s temperatures, not lead to heated arguments, Magistrate Anthony Vella told two ice-cream vendors in court yesterday.

This was after two sets of families, George Camenzuli, 47 and his son Joseph, 18 from Birkirkara, and Raymond Cutajar, 53, who is a relapser, and his two sons, George, 24 and Jean Paul, 20, from Qormi, all ice-cream vendors, were charged with attacking one another and breaching public order and peace during the Lija feast last Friday.

Prosecuting Police Inspector Kevin Farrugia said that on the night, and as the feast was at its apex, George Camenzuli asked Raymond Cutajar to slightly shift the location of the latter’s van so that he could better accommodate the people queuing for ice-cream at the time.

When Mr Cutajar did not take any notice of Mr Camenzuli’s request, an argument ensued between the two and soon all five were involved in a brawl with each other, with damage to both vans being caused during the fight.

Asked if they knew each other before, George Camenzuli said that the two sets of families were very close to each other and they constantly met each other on occasions such as feasts and political manifestations.

Such was their longstanding relationship, added Mr Camenzuli, that they both have been selling ice-cream from their vans on a daily basis in Marsaxlokk for over a decade, and they would often help each other out whenever their generators run out from time to time.

On advice of the two defence lawyers, Marion Camilleri and Martin Fenech, Magistrate Vella handed all five a conditional discharge of one year against a bank guarantee of €1,000.

All five then shook hands with each other, with the Magistrate commiserating a prison warder, in the court room at the time, that he will not be getting any freebie ice-cream during his prison patrols after all.