Man jailed for six months after punching Labour MP in the face

Philip Zahra, 43, has been sentenced to six months in jail for punching Labour backbencher Joseph Sammut in the face and threatening him with a knife.

The incident occurred at 3pm on November 24 when the two were stuck in traffic by the traffic lights in St. Andrews next to the Luxol football pitches.

The court heard how Sammut had been travelling to a political activity when Zahra’s van blocked him off at the traffic lights. Zahra got out of his van wielding a knife and approached Sammut’s car. The Labour MP told Zahra that he was “crazy” to be threatening an MP, after which Zahra punched Sammut in the face, told him to “enjoy it, since you are an MP”, and drove off in his van.

Sammut noted Zahra’s number plate and filed a police report, claiming to have hit Zahra with his car door when he saw the knife in his hand. After searching Zahra’s van and his Naxxar residence, police could not find the knife. Zahra denied threatening Sammut with a knife, but told police that he could have accidentally hit Sammut.

Zahra told the court that he had stopped at the traffic lights and saw the car behind him flashing its headlights. He said that Sammut’s car then pulled over to his left into the bus lane and that the driver swore at him and told him to move aside to let him drive off.

Zahra testified that he exited his vehicle to see what had provoked the driver’s rage, that Sammut then pulled his jacket through the car window, that he pulled free, got back into his vehicle and drove off. He claimed not to have recognized the driver.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera pointed out that Zahra did not deny punching Sammut and condemned his “cowboy” attitude. She noted that, Sammut testified calmly about the series of events while Zahra had focussed on undermining other witnesses. She also pointed out that he had been handed a suspended sentence back in 2010 for having slightly injured a traffic warden and damaging his car.

She ruled that he had not learnt his lesson since then and jailed him for six months, fined him €200, and issued a two-year protection order for Sammut.