A man who permanently disfigured another man by smashing a glass in his face outside the Santa Lucia Boċċi Club 11 years ago, has been ordered to pay his victim €2,500 and perform 100 hours of community service.

Paul Borg, 38, from Santa Lucia, admitted to having grievously injured the victim, in the course of an argument in the early afternoon of May 27, 2006.

Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia, acting upon a recommendation by a social worker, had ordered a pre-sentencing report on the accused after being informed of the man's drug and alcohol problem.

It was noted that this was not Mr Borg's first brush with the law, having already incurred seven convictions, on one occasion landing a six-month jail term suspended for two years for a similar assault.

However, it was also noted that the victim, in spite of having suffered a permanent disfigurement, did not want to press charges but wished his aggressor to be offered all necessary treatment so as to overcome his problems.

The court observed that Mr Borg had, since the aggression, strived to stay on the right path and had settled down with his partner, even taking upon himself all the responsibilities of fatherhood. In such circumstances, the court deemed it inappropriate to apply an effective jail term and risk undoing all the progress achieved by the accused.

The court therefore, placed Mr Borg under a three-year probation order and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service. It also ordered him to pay €2,500 to the victim.

Inspector Jurgen Vella prosecuted.