A man who has already been convicted for running an illegal slaughterhouse was yesterday charged again after police found animals ready to be killed and the guts of one all over the floor.

There were five animals at Joseph Camilleri’s Mosta farmhouse when police and animal welfare officials paid him a surprise visit on Tuesday evening.

Acting on an anonymous tip-off, they entered the building to find a sheep with an ear that had been cut when the animal’s identification and tracking number were removed.

This means it would have been untraceable once killed and sold off, sources said.

Police believe the guts found belonged to another animal that had been sold.

In court, Mr Camilleri, 63, denied running the same slaughterhouse on February 1 and threatening three policemen.

In the arraignment, lawyer Anġlu Farrugia played down the charges and said that what they were talking about was “one goat”.

He added that he could not believe that the prosecution were objecting to his bail request.

Police Inspectors Edmond Cuschieri and Gabriel Micallef argued that Mr Camilleri was a repeat offender.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke granted him bail against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €2,000.

Mr Camilleri has been charged five times with the same offences and has been convicted once before and fined €800.