Court hands out seven-year prison term for man who left diner blind in one eye

A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after a violent outburst at a restaurant in Mġarr left another man permanently blind in one eye.

Saviour Caruana was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to another diner during an incident at a restaurant on 24 March 2019. Caruana was also convicted of breaching the public peace by shouting and fighting.

The court heard how what began as an ordinary family meal escalated into chaos, with witnesses describing shouting, broken glass, and terrified diners locking themselves inside a bathroom as the situation spiralled out of control.

According to testimony, the victim was dining with his wife, daughters, their partners and children when they became uncomfortable with the behaviour of a nearby table. Witnesses said the neighbouring group was loud, using coarse language, and creating a disturbance in the presence of children.

The victim’s family decided to take their main course as takeaway and leave. The victim then went to the bar to pay, while members of his family packed food into containers.

Before tensions escalated, there had been moments of jest between the two tables. Witness Gallen Mifsud testified that members of Caruana’s table had even ordered a slice of cake and sang “Happy Birthday” to someone at the victim’s table as a joke, despite it not being that person’s birthday. At that stage, he said, they were still taking the situation in good humour. 

“He came in angry and punched him”

The victim told the court he had not argued with Caruana, had not spoken to him, and did not know him personally. He said that as he was moving from the bar towards the toilet area, Caruana approached and struck him with a punch to the eye area without warning.

The victim’s wife and daughters gave consistent evidence, describing Caruana as visibly angry and immediately moving towards the victim before delivering the blow. They described blood streaming from his eye and said they rushed him into the bathroom and locked the door in fear.

Inside, they said they could hear banging, shouting and attempts to force entry, while objects were thrown outside the bathroom. The police were eventually needed to escort them out, and an ambulance took the victim to the hospital.

Restaurant staff and owners testified that a major commotion erupted between two groups, with shouting and fighting both inside and outside the premises. 

While one witness said he did not see the punch being thrown, he described seeing the victim bleeding and being sheltered in the bathroom, with Caruana among those outside it in an agitated state.

CCTV as central evidence in the case

The court placed heavy weight on CCTV footage obtained from various camera angles. The court noted that the victim appeared largely passive throughout the incident and did not behave as someone seeking confrontation.

In contrast, the footage was described as showing Caruana repeatedly moving in and out of the restaurant, holding tissue to his face, and later entering quickly and “with purpose” while visibly angry.

The court said that when the footage was played slowly and frame-by-frame, it clearly showed punching motions at the time the victim sustained the injury. The court rejected defence submissions that the footage did not establish a link between Caruana and the grievous injuries.

A consultant ophthalmic surgeon told the court the injury was extremely severe and that surgery was carried out primarily to preserve the shape of the eye, with no hope of restoring sight.

The victim ultimately lost vision in one eye completely, an outcome the defence did not contest. The court described the harm as permanent, both cosmetically and functionally.

Court rejects accused’s version

Caruana’s statement to police focused on a separate confrontation outside the restaurant, where he claimed he was punched. He did not give a credible explanation for what unfolded inside, and the court criticised contradictions between his account and the CCTV footage. At one point during questioning, he stopped replying and exercised his right to silence after being confronted with the video.

The court also took issue with inconsistencies in versions given by some of Caruana’s relatives about what had occurred, noting conflicting accounts on key details.

In handing down the sentence, the magistrate emphasised the seriousness of violence that results in life-altering injury, noting that a man who went out for lunch with his family returned home blind in one eye. It was also noted that Caruana is no stranger to the legal system.

Caruana was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.

The court also ordered him to pay €10,000 in compensation to the victim, the maximum amount allowed, stating that no amount of money could restore vision, but that the compensation had to reflect the gravity of the harm caused.

The magistrate praised the victim for his composure and restraint throughout the incident, describing him as having acted with exemplary self-control, remaining calm and dignified despite the chaos unfolding around him.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech presided over the sitting, Inspector Godwin Scerri prosecuted.

Arthur Azzopardi represented the parte civile.