Bouncer who shattered clubber's jaw gets suspended sentence

A bouncer at a Paceville nightclub has been handed a suspended sentence after a court found him guilty of violently assaulting a patron, causing a broken jaw which required surgery.

40-year-old Kevin Mallia, who is a doorman at the Havana nightclub in Paceville was handed a two-year sentence suspended for four after Magistrate Anthony Vella found him guilty of causing serious injury to Nicholas Portelli in January 2012.

Another Havana employee, Aaron Vella, 28, from Mosta, received a one-year conditional discharge for the assault on Portelli and his friend Yianis Micallef and breaching the peace.

The court heard how Portelli, his partner and Micallef had been inside the club when Micallef passed out and had to be accompanied to the bathroom.

It emerged that Mallia had decided to throw the three men out of the club after he spotted them entering the toilets together. A struggle ensued, with both Portelli and Micallef being injured. 

The prosecution exhibited CCTV footage of the assault, showing Mallia punching the victims.

Portelli required surgery to implant a metal plate in his shattered jaw.

The magistrate handed Mallia a suspended sentence and placed him under probation for three years, also finding him guilty of working as a bouncer without a licence. Vella was conditionally discharged for a year.

Police Inspectors Godwin Scerri and Luke Bonello prosecuted. Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili appeared for two men.