A man was stabbed at least 15 times in his neck and upper body with a 10 centimetre blade in a Gozitan courtroom, a court heard yesterday.

Both the alleged attacker - Pasqualino Cefai, 37, and his victim Joseph Portelli, 54, of Żebbuġ, are well known to the police and have a number of pending cases between them.

Mr Cefai is pleading not guilty to stabbing and grievously injuring Mr Portelli at around noon on June 6. The attack took place in a Gozo court room in front of Magistrate Josette Demicoli.

Mr Cefai is also pleading not guilty to slightly injuring lawyer Kevin Mompalao and causing more than €1,400 worth of damage inside the courtroom, being in possession of a penknife without a police licence, breaching bail conditions, committing a crime during a suspended sentence and relapsing.

Prior to the attack, the magistrate had been presiding over a civil court case between the two men and ordered Mr Cefai out of the courtroom after he kept on interrupting her and making a number of rude remarks.

The court had seized two of Mr Cefai's trucks to be sold off for Mr Portelli to get compensation.

He kept repeating that he had a wife and two children to feed and the vehicles were needed for his family's livelihood. He threatened Mr Portelli that he would "pay him back".

Mr Cefai returned seconds after leaving the courtroom, and attacked Mr Portelli, stabbing him repeatedly in a downward motion.

Lawyer Kevin Mompalao testified before Magistrate Neville Camilleri this morning that he heard the doors bang open soon after Mr Cefai was thrown out.

Mr Cefai had returned and hit Mr Portelli in his back and neck.

He said that he had not realised that Mr Cefai was using a knife and attempted to separate the two men. However, he held back when he saw the blade.

"He hit him several times and I saw him sink the blade completely in Portelli's back at least times."

At one point, the blade got stuck in Mr Portelli's back and Mr Cefai pulled it out again, Dr Mompalao said.

He said that while stabbing Mr Portelli, who had interlaced his fingers at the back of his neck, Mr Cefai repeatedly told Mr Portelli that he was going to starve his family to death.

Dr Mompalao said Mr Cefai moved towards him and he automatically covered his head with his hand.

"Portelli didn't say a word or fight back – I went out to look for help and ran downstairs without feeling any pain. I was convinced he was dead".

Police Inspector Bernard Spiteri said that just after 12 p.m. he received a call from Magistrate Demicoli telling him that a stabbing had just taken place in her courtroom.

After he was arrested, Mr Cefai was taken to Mount Carmel Hospital and psychiatric expert gave the police the go-ahead to interrogate him.

However, Mr Cefai did not answer any of the questions put forward to him by the investigating officers.

Lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran and Giannella de Marco appeared for Mr Cefai.