Pasqualino Cefai, the man who stands accused of trying to assault a Magistrate, become agitated after she decided that his case would go ahead despite the fact that his lawyer was not present in the courtroom, a court heard today.

Taking the witness stand, lawyer Edward Gatt said his client told him he felt antagonised by the court’s decision, more so because there were many other cases that could have been heard on the day. Dr Gatt said he had told Mr Cefai that his behaviour was wrong and unjustified.

Mr Cefai, 35, from Zebbug, stands charged with threatening to kill Magistrate Miriam Hayman and Inspector Johann Fenech together with his family. He had flown into a rage on 2 October when the Magistrate ordered the case to continue despite the fact that Mr Cefai’s lawyer was not present. The accused tried to approach the Magistrate but was stopped by police officers. The man has already been sentenced to seven years in jail after he stabbed a lawyer in front of a different Magistrate in a Gozo courtroom in 2012.

Dr Gatt explained how on the day of the incident he had to attend several other court cases. He said he had made a verbal request to the court to refrain from hearing the case in his absence, noting that his client would easily get unnerved. The case started nonetheless but he was not informed. He only learnt about the incident when the sitting he was attending was over. Dr Gatt said he was angry at the court’s decision but remained outside because he did not want to be dragged into a dispute with the court.

Another witness, a Police Sergeant, said Mr Cefai flew into a fit of rage when he was taken  to the court lock-up. He smashed a mirror and banged his head against a locker, injuring himself. Dr Gatt was not present at this time.

The case continues on 15 October.