A magistrate yesterday recalled a “scary” incident in her courtroom last October when a man threatened to kill her, a police inspector and his family in a fit of rage.

It was an unusual court sitting yesterday when Magistrate Audrey Demicoli heard Magistrate Miriam Hayman give evidence in a case against convict Pasqualino Cefai, 35, of Żebbuġ, Gozo.

Mr Cefai is facing charges related to the courtroom incident that took place last October 2. He stands charged with threatening and insulting the magistrate, disobeying police orders, resisting and assaulting several officers, injuring a constable, breaching the peace, swearing in public and smashing a glass pane with his head in the lock-up at the law courts building.

He is serving time over a stabbing in a Gozo courtroom three years ago.

Testifying from the bench, Magistrate Hayman recalled that Mr Cefai was “very agitated and even ripped his own jacket” with rage.

“He threatened to kill me, Police Inspector Johann Fenech and his family,” she said, describing how Mr Cefai “lost it” when she ordered him out of the courtroom.

“I had two more cases to hear. We called his lawyer several times but he did not turn up, so we started the case dealing with the repayment of a loan. He was agitated and started complaining that his lawyer was not present.

“At one point, he stood up and started making threats. I told him to be quiet once, twice, three times and then I had enough, so I found him in contempt of court.

“When I realised he was becoming physically agitated, I warned him that I was prepared to continue hearing the case in his or his lawyer’s absence but he persisted. I, therefore, ordered that he be led out of the courtroom,” Magistrate Hayman said.

She said there were three police inspectors and two officers who tried hard to restrain him. When four or five police officers approached him, he started hitting them.

“He was hitting the police, threatened to kill me and the inspector... to pay me back and to set his brothers on me,” she said.

Mr Cefai interjected during her testimony saying he was sorry for his actions: “I apologise once again and promise it will not happen again,” he said. The magistrate replied: “Thank you, Mr Cefai.”

“He did not touch me. He just threatened me verbally,” the magistrate added.

The case continues next month.

Inspector Daryl Borg prosecuted.

Lawyers Edward Gatt and Noel Bianco represented Mr Cefai.