Jurors in the trial of a man charged with the murder of a Filipino sailor, who died following a bar brawl nine years ago, have been told to continue deliberating this morning after spending eight hours doing so yesterday.

Charles Demicoli, 34, is pleading not guilty to murdering 44-year-old Perfecto Montalban on Christmas Day of 2000 at Cherries Bar in Birżebbuġa after he allegedly hit him on the head with a bar stool.

The jurors retired to deliberate yesterday at 1 p.m. but at 9 p.m. Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia called a halt and ordered them to continue this morning at 9 a.m.

In the week-and-a-half long trial, the jurors have heard pathologists who carried out the autopsy testify that the victim died from a single blow to the back of his head that caused radiating fractures to the front of his skull.

This point was hotly contested by defence lawyers, Gianella Caruana Curran and Emmanuel Mallia who, in cross examination, highlighted the fact that two witnesses had seen the accused hit the victim on the front of his head and not the back.

Witnesses who were at the bar when the massive brawl broke out recalled the victim being hit by a number of people and even thrown out onto the pavement.

The defence team used this to explain the large fracture on the back of his head but the prosecution rebutted saying that it was very clear the accused had hit the victim with a bar stool.

The head of the Prosecution Unit at the Attorney General's office, lawyer Anthony Barbara, prosecuted.