A motorist has been handed a suspended jail term after admitting to seriously injuring another motorist during a scuffle that broke out following a traffic accident in Valletta in 2019.

The incident had happened on July 15 when Andrea Soriani, from Milan, and Arthur Giordano got into a fight in St Paul’s Street. During the incident, Giordano suffered grievous injuries to his face.

Magistrate Monica Vella heard how Soriani claimed that Giordano had hit him while trying to overtake his vehicle which at the time was blocking the road.

But the court found that there was no evidence of this or any evidence that he had suffered any injuries. Witnesses testified that both motorists began shouting and insulting each other until Soriani punched the motorcyclist in the face, flooring him.

The magistrate noted that even if Soriani had been hit by the motorbike, his reaction was disproportionate.

After considering his admission, the court jailed him for a year suspended for a year.

Police inspector Pricilla Caruana Lee prosecuted while lawyer David Gatt was defence counsel.