Man accused of driving at neighbour following argument over air horn

An argument between neighbours over the use of an air horn resulted in a car being intentionally driven at a motorcycle, a broken nose and general mayhem, a court has heard.

In two separate arraignments, Inspector Eman Hayman charged 23-year-old Antoine Galea, from Zabbar with slightly injuring Edward Buhagiar, 37, and grievously injuring his 14-year-old son after Buhagiar drove his BMW at him.

Buhagiar, on the other hand, was accused of attempting to cause grievous injury to Galea with the vehicle. He was also charged with dangerous and reckless driving, slightly injuring the man and breaching the peace.

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges and requested bail.

Inspector Hayman explained to Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit how the two men were neighbours who lived in close proximity with one another. Galea had been making a disturbance with an air horn, prompting Buhagiar to drive in front of his house and insult him. The two men traded insults, and the matter appeared to have stopped there. However, later that day, Buhagiar drove his car at the other man who was on his motorbike, slightly injuring him.

A few minutes later, Galea assaulted Buhagiar’s son, breaking his nose.

Galea's lawyer Graziella Attard told the court that there was a long-standing feud between the two families, but that the parties were ready to forgive each other.

Lawyer Jason Grima, appearing for the Buhagiar family, declared that his clients were forgiving Galea for the incident and were renouncing to criminal action. They were also not prepared to testify against Galea, he said. “He’s learned his lesson. He’s spent 48 hours in custody and missed work,” added the lawyer, before pointing out that all the witnesses were relatives and could therefore legally refuse to testify. Galea’s lawyer also said he wished to forgive the man.

There was disagreement as to what should happen next. The injured party was renouncing its right to legal action whilst the prosecution said that some of the charges needed to be prosecuted ex officio. There were also CCTV cameras which had captured the incident, said the inspector.

The court ruled that the cases should proceed, with bail being granted to both men against a deposit of €300 and a personal guarantee of €5,000, and on condition that the men do not communicate with each other.