Paceville club owner, manager cleared over flaming cocktail that burnt teens

A Paceville club owner and manager have been cleared of having grievously burned three teenagers when a cocktail sprayed flames onto them.

The court acquitted the men as it criticised prosecutors for having only presented two witnesses in the eight years and failing to produce crucial evidence required to establish guilt.

Luke Chetcuti, who owns Bacco Sticks & Sum by Hugo’s in Paceville, his late father Hugo, club manager Noel Falzon and barman Lazar Zakev were arraigned in 2018  over an incident that took place on July 7, 2017.

The freak incident revolved around the serving of a popular cocktail known as a ‘Flaming Lamborghini’ inside the club.

Just as Zakev was pouring alcohol into one of the glasses, the liquid suddenly turned into a flaming spray, hitting a 16-year-old Italian and a 17-year-old Spanish girl, as well as a 16-year-old Italian boy.

The Italian boy suffered facial and chest burns covering a total surface area of 10 per cent.

All three were admitted to Mater Dei Hospital suffering from burns. The boy was in a critical condition for some time.

The four accused men were accused of having, through negligence or non-observance of statutory regulations, caused grievous injuries of a permanent nature upon three teenage patrons involved in the incident.

They were further charged with having breached health and safety regulations. Luke and Hugo Chetcuti and Falzon were separately charged with having permitted entry to persons under the age of 17.

Hugo Chetcuti died in July 2018, days after he was stabbed.

Proceedings began in 2018 and were assigned to magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech on May 15, 2024.

The court heard one of the victims explain that the barman was preparing a pyramid of shots at the time. Once the alcohol was lit up, the fire spread to their faces.

Footage of the incident showed the fire shooting out in the direction of the victim.

The 16-year-old boy told the court that he did not order the drink for himself but joined his friends at the bar. He explained that no one told them to move away or cautioned them that they were too close. In his testimony, he recalled that “I was burning, I was like a living matchstick”.

The boy also told the court that he had no further claims against the club, as its insurance had paid him €250,000 in compensation.

From the evidence, the court ruled that the prosecution failed to produce any evidence linking the defendants to the club, highlighting that no licence for the club was presented in court, and neither it had been established who was licensed at the time of the incident.

It also observed that the charges were issued against the company owning the club but the records did not make any mention of the company and the individuals involved.

“It is truly shameful that this case which until October 2024, only saw two witnesses testifying was allowed to protract for over eight years. Whilst charges were filed in February 2018, the case commenced on April 2, 2019. For no less than four years, the case – summary in nature – was at a stalemate,” magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech observed in her judgement, adding that the last remaining witnesses testified in October 2024 before her.

“Yet throughout this time, the lacunae which inevitably irreparably undermine the Prosecution’s case remained unaddressed, leaving the Court with no option but to acquit the defendants,” the judgement read.

The case against the barman involved is still ongoing. 

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the court.