Six Croats were today arraigned in court and charged over Monday night’s Paceville brawl, which involved chair and table-throwing and left a number of shop windows damaged.

The accused are Ivan Janjetic, 21, Denis Danilovic, 25, Dalen Cekada, 25, Davor Andelkovic, 32, Marijo Hodak, 38, and Igor Valec, 26. All six pleaded guilty and pledged to pay a total of €5770 for the damage they had caused.

They were charged with causing damage to the White Palace and Plush night clubs, Chick King take away and a Peugeot car. They were also charged with inciting a group of persons to commit a crime, breaching the peace, throwing objects and assaulting Serb Aleksander Stanojcic.

It is understood that the accused were part of a group of Croats that attacked a Serb national near Santa Rita steps. The fight carried on in front of Burger King, by which time some other Serbs had joined in the fracas. Tables and chairs were thrown by the two sides, with a number of bars sustaining damage. Surprisingly, no one was hurt in the free-for-all.

Inspector Trevor Micallef, prosecuting, said the accused were part of a group or 20 to 30 Croats. All were identified by either security guards or bar owners and even by one of the alleged victims. In some cases the accused were also identified on CCTV.

Three of the accused first told the court they were not involved in the fight, with one insisting he was eating at a fast food restaurant. However, after discussing with defence lawyer Joe Ellis, the six pleaded guilty and pledged to pay for the damage they had caused, which amounts to €961 each.

The court, presided by Magistrate Josette Demicoli, gave the men some time to have the necessary funds transferred to their accounts. Sentencing will be delivered tomorrow afternoon. Until then the men have been remanded in custody.

In the meantime sources said another nine Croats who were arrested in Pembroke were immediately deported. Police officers had found items related to hooliganism, including metal rods and stones, in their possession. Other foreigners who were involved in yet another fight between Croats and Serbs last night could be arraigned in the coming days.