Not guilty of facial disfigurement

Casey Anthony Vella, 24 from St Lucia was found not guilty of charges of causing facial disfigurement to Stephen Sandro Spiteri, without intent to kill.

The Magistrates’ Court in its criminal judicature, presided by Audrey Demicoli, considered Vella had acted in self-defence. In turn Vella only suffered some minor injuries.

The incident occurred on 1 May 2005 at around 11:15pm in the Bugibba square where a fight broke out during a party because of a certain Moira Fenech, the accused’s girlfriend, who apparently used to go out with a friend of Spiteri.

Spiteri testified that the fight broke out between the accused and Jeffrey Caruana, and when he went to try to calm them down Vella allegedly started threatening to kill him. Vella then hit him with a glass bottle amid chants of “Kill him, kill him!”

Allegedly the accused also tried to stab him with a pocket-knife, but only managed to hit him lightly on his back.

However the Court considered that witnesses summoned by Spiteri, members of his group of friends, were also very selective in their testimony while the accused’s testimony was by far more detailed.

Vella stated that Spiteri’s gang had been trying to provoke him and his friends all evening. When the party finished they were going to go eat something but they saw Jeffrey Fenech trying to make his way towards them to hit them while being restrained by a certain Sam Zammit.

The accused also said that Spiteri started insulting him that he had taken other persons' girlfriends, while holding a glass bottle in his hand pointed towards Vella. The barman warned them to not get into any trouble and Vella sustained that he was going to leave. But at that point in time he saw a certain Dorianne pulling at his girlfriend’s hair and he went to her aid.

He was however immediately surrounded by Spiteri and others from his group, and Spiteri hit him in the head with the bottle. In defending himself, Vella hit him in the face with the glass bottle he was holding.

Vella also added that he was scared as he was being hit by his assailants, and fell on Spiteri who was at that point lying on the floor. When he managed to get up, he ran off to a police station.

Inspector Raymond Cassar prosecuted while Dr Joe Giglio appeared for the accused.