A Paceville security officer who beat a clubber with a baton has been spared jail time after a court saw that the man was “of good character”.

22-year-old Serbian Aleksandar Stanojcic avoided the six-month jail sentence after a judge took note of his good behaviour since the attack as well as a recommendation from his probation officer, who described the man’s character.

The officer also said jail time was likely to harm his personal family life.

The case goes back to August 2015, when a drunk reveller, Yasin Ahmed El Hililali, hit Stanojcic on the shoulder with a glass and challenged him to fight him. El Hililali was passing near a food outlet on St Rita’s Steps when he alleged that Stanojcic told him to keep walking.

El Hililali allegedly asked him why, and that’s when he said he saw Stanojcic “press” his earpiece, and assumed he was calling more bouncers.

He hit him and ran in the direction of Burger King, with Stanojcic and another bouncer giving chase through Paceville, before tackling him to the ground.

El Hililali said that’s when Stanojcic beating pummelling his head with his elbow while the other bouncer kicked his stomach. When police intervened, El Hililali pointed to Stanojcic as the aggressor.

He was fined €500 and jailed for six months after being found guilty of working without a license and breaching the peace.

However his probation officer said that “an effective prison sentence would leave serious impact on the appellant’s life and that of his family”, especially in light of the fact that he was unable to find a job since then.

Justice Aaron Bugeja deemed the suspended sentence to be more beneficial to society than an effective jail term, and released the man.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were defence counsel while police superintendent Trevor Micallef prosecuted.

What do you think of this ruling?