A jury late on Monday convicted a man of attempted murder after he threw brick tiles at a neighbour's father as he stood on a ladder.

Paul Borg, 68 of Żebbuġ, was found guilty of trying to kill Mario Grech in 2020 and of causing him grievous bodily harm in a separate incident a year earlier. 

The jury returned a guilty verdict on all charges except causing wilful damage to third-party property. The jurors voted 8-1 on the attempted murder charge.

Sentencing will take place on Thursday after lawyers' submissions on punishment.

The trial started last week.

The court heard how in September four years ago the accused flung two brick tiles at Grech after spotting him working on a neighbouring property belonging to Grech’s son.

A technical expert and a medico-legal expert appointed by the court subsequently reported that had Grech not reacted swiftly, shifting position and steering clear of the bricks, the force of the impact would doubtlessly have killed him. 

Those bricks were followed by two jerry cans of burnt oil which Borg flung down from the rooftop, the liquid content of the containers splashing over the paving and staining a pool area.

Trouble had apparently brewed between the parties during works carried out at the property which allegedly resulted in damage to tiling at Borg’s residence.

Those events followed a violent incident involving Borg and Grech a year earlier.

The first incident in 2019 saw Borg allegedly force his way inside the property on Triq Frans Sammut and, using a broken broom, assault Grech who was scraping a wall at the time.

Borg was soon joined by his wife and son, leaving Grech with facial scars and bruising.

The trial is presided by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera.

AG lawyers Darlene Grime and Ramon Bonett Sladden are prosecuting.

Lawyers Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo are defence counsel.  Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri appeared for the victim's family.