A ‘lonely’ pensioner who lives in a hospital and has no one to look after him was handed a six month jail term suspended for a year after he admitted to stabbing and seriously injuring a 29-year-old supermarket employee.

Antonio Borg, 79, from Zebbug Gozo had been arrested on 25 November 2013 after slashing the man with a knife at The Duke shopping complex in Victoria. At the time it was reported that Mr Borg got into an argument with the owner of the shopping complex, who had barred him from entering one of the shops carrying a bag some days earlier. The police had subsequently warned Mr Borg not to enter the complex to avoid further arguments but he did not heed their advice. On the day of the incident, the 29-year-old, Josef Galea, tried to intervene but ended up with a nasty cut on one of his arms. He then ran to the police station, trailing blood along the way.

Mr Borg also pleaded guilty to assaulting him and Walter Michael Farrugia, threatening them, breaching the peace, unlawful possession of a knife and causing them to fear that violence would be used against them.

The court heard how the man now lives at the long-stay ward at the Gozo General Hospital and has no one to look after him as all his relatives live in Australia. Because of his weak state of health it would be better for him to join his relatives after the procedures are concluded. Defence counsel Joe Ellis said his client was sorry for what he did and wanted to apologise.

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud said, however, that it was unacceptable for someone to settle an argument by stabbing another person. God forbid that anyone who ended up in an argument settled it with a knife. The court said it would not tolerate situations where people took the law into their own hands, turning the country into a jungle. The acts carried out by the accused were serious and condemnable.

The Magistrate said, however, that the court would take the opportunity to pass on the message about the suffering of elderly people who ended up alone in the world. Many of our elderly people are loved by their families but a significant number of others end up all alone. In some cases, old age brings with it suffering and pain. Apart from the provisions laid down by the law, there was also the need for reconciliatory justice, the Magistrate said, quoting from a speech Pope Francis made in 2013.

Considering the nature of the charges, the man’s admission of guilt and the special circumstances he is in, the Magistrate handed down a six month jail sentence suspended for one year.