Man handed suspended sentence after fracturing woman’s jaw

Carmel Zammit, 39 of Swieqi was handed a suspended sentence after being found guilty of fracturing a woman’s jaw at the Beduin Bar in St Julian’s.

The incident took place during the night of 13 July 2012, when Lynn Abela, Doriette Marmara and Claire Benetti were partying at the bar in St Julian’s.

An argument ensued between the women and the accused, when allegedly he started insulting Doriette with whom he had an affair some eight months before.

During the verbal exchange Zammit repeatedly threatened his former girlfriend, and argued that her friend Lynn Abela was the cause for her misdemeanour.

In the scuffle the man pushed Doriette to the floor causing her a cranial fracture, and punched Lynn, fracturing her jaw in two places.

The man was slightly injured when he was hit with a glass.

Taking the witness stand, Zammit claimed he had overheard the three women offending his sister-in-law Tania Caruana, who was also present at the bar.

He also claimed that the three women had bad-mouthed Caruana on Facebook and approached them to rebuke them over their behavior.

He added that at that moment Lynn Abela hit him with a glass and a fight ensued.

Magistrate Neville Camilleri decreed that a prison term was not justified based on the dynamics of the incident.

Having found the accused guilty of grievously injuring Lynn Abela, he handed him a three-year jail term suspended for a year. The court also issued a protection order over against a guarantee of €1,000 and ordered Zammit to pay €219.81 in court fees.