A metal detector has been installed at the Gozo courts, three days after two men were stabbed in front of a magistrate by a man wielding a penknife.

The news was welcomed by five Gozitan lawyers, but they were still bitter that their pleas for security equipment had been ignored for years.

“I personally have been asking for this equipment for at least five years but requests have been made before. I mean, eureka, it has been finally installed but only after someone is fighting for his life and a lawyer was injured,” Gozitan Labour MP and lawyer Justyne Caruana said.

Gozitan lawyers were still threatening to boycott sittings and about 16 did not turn up in court yesterday, she added.

Joseph Portelli, 54, of Żebbuġ and his lawyer Kevin Mompalao, 37, of Xewkija, were injured when they were attacked by a man holding a penknife.

Following the incident, Gozitan lawyers threatened not to attend sittings if measures were not taken to step up security.

Carmelo Galea, Grazio Mercieca, Charles Galea and Deborah Mercieca complained: “There had to be a victim for the equipment to be installed. We are really angry about this as it just took them about 24 hours to install it.”

Dr Caruana said the new equipment had not yet been tested.

After the incident, Dr Caruana said she was contacted by the ­former chairman of Gozo ­Channel, Joseph Grech, who is also a Gozitan lawyer, who said he knew someone who could lend them security equipment for free.

“When I passed this information on, I was told that the equipment would be installed by the relevant authorities,” she said.

The lawyers say they want a building that is accessible to all. They also expect to see tape recorders in the courtrooms.

The lawyers said they were “forgotten” and still worked in a building that dated back to the Knights while the government was continually investing in and building more structures for the courts in Malta.

“We want our complaints and requests to be seen to immediately and not wait for someone to get hurt. We want the Gozitan courts to be given the dignity they deserve and allow us all, including the employees, to operate properly,” Dr Caruana said.

The Chamber of Advocates expressed sympathy with the victims and their families. It said: “The incident has highlighted the total lack of security measures in place, as opposed to the security in place in the Maltese courts. It is of grave concern to the chamber, particularly because it is the workplace of lawyers practising in Gozo.”

It called on the authorities to take “immediate steps” to ensure the Gozitan courts were made safe.

The Labour Party spokesman for justice, José Herrera, describedthe security situation as “unac-ceptable”. He said whoever allowed this to happen should assume responsibility.