A police investigation into a savage attack on a Paceville clubber is now zoning in on the employment of unlicensed bouncers.   

Dejan Zivanov, a 29-year-old bouncer from Serbia, was escorted to court on Tuesday and charged with grievously injuring Maciej Zyluk, a Polish man who suffered blunt force trauma when he was kicked in the head.

Shocking footage published by TVM showed the Polish man having his head kicked against the road in the early hours of Sunday.  

The video also showed several other bouncers involved in the incident. 

Hospital sources confirmed that the victim has been released from hospital and is recovering from his injuries. 

Police sources involved in the case said that the investigation is now looking at the employment of bouncers at the nightclub and others in the vicinity. 

They did not exclude action being taken against the owners of  these establishments, if they were found to have flaunted licensing requirements. 

Times of Malta was unable to reach the nightclub management for comment. 

Ban on unlicensed bouncers 

Laws regulating nightclub security were introduced in 2012, with bouncers required to have police, armed forces, prison or private security experience and a specialised licence following training. But the requirements appear to have had little effect on the way Paceville venues are controlled, with reports of violence a regular occurrence. 

Questions sent to the police about the number of unlicensed bouncers uncovered during routine inspections were not replied to by the time of going to print.  

Meanwhile, Michael Spiteri, the clinical director at Mater Dei Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department, said that drunk nightclubbers were treated for injuries sustained during late night fights every single week.

He said that official statistics on how many people were treated for injuries sustained during altercations with bouncers were not kept by the hospital. However, a number of the those treated every year were assaulted by bouncers in the nightlife district, he said. 

Paceville violence ends in A&E

Doctors at Mater Dei’s A&E said that over the past few years they had treated some patients that had been “lucky to be alive” after being involved in Paceville fights.  

“I remember one patient who was brought in a few months ago who had been hit on the head with a bottle and also been beaten quite badly. He had injuries all over and was very drunk,” an emergency doctor said.  

He added that in his experience, the injuries from fights involving bouncers were often the most serious. 

“We get a mix of Maltese, tourists and even migrants who are brought in from Paceville after having been involved in some sort of violent incident,” the doctor said.  

Mr Spiteri said that the summer months, when Paceville is at its busiest, were naturally when most of these types of injuries were sustained. However, the holiday season around Christmas and New Year would also usually lead to a spike.