A court has ordered a man, who disfigured another person after smashing a glass in his face, to probation, community service, and to pay the victim €2,500, after he pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him.

Paul Borg, 38 of Santa Lucija, admitted that on 27 May 2006 at 1:15pm next to the Bocci Club in Santa Lucija, he grievously assaulted Johansson Spiteri, also from the locality.

He also admitted to breaching conditions set upon him by the Court

A social worker reported to the court that Mr Borg abused drugs and also had problems with alcohol.

The social worker recommended that Mr Borg be placed under probation and be ordered to do community work. 

Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia also ruled that while the victim may be left with a mark on his face, it wanted to help Mr Borg address his problems. 

The court did note that Mr Borg had already been sentenced to a six month sentence suspended for two years for a similair case.

The magistrate said that “the accused did his best to depart from this path of crime, and assumed responsibility to take care of his children, along with his partner, and find employment. It is of the Court’s opinion that the defendant’s efforts deserve to encouraged, so a custodial sentence is not suitable.”

Magistrate Farrugia added that it was more appropriate for the accused to compensate for his behaviour by performing community work and be placed under probation to ensure that he continued to remain on track.

It was therefore decided that Mr Borg be placed under probation for a period of three years, that he perform 100 hours of community service, and give €2,500 to Mr Spiteri.

The prosecution was represented by Inspector Jurgen Vella.