Being robbed at knifepoint felt like something out of a film, a Somali man said in court yesterday.

Mohamed Abikar testified that, on October 12, he had been stopped near the Ħal Far open centre by two men, including 18-year-old defendant Abdifaid Mahamud from Xlendi.

He said Mr Mahamud grabbed him by the neck and held a knife to his neck as the other man, whom he did not know, punched him repeatedly, describing the incident as a scene from a film. Mr Abikar said the assailants took €225.

He called for help but no one heard him and, at one point, he even lost consciousness.

Police Inspector Fabian Fleri showed him a photo of a man whom the victim identified as the second person who had attacked him.

The prosecuting officer told the court in a previous sitting that Mr Abikar only recognised the first aggressor the day after the incident when he spotted him in the queue while collecting his State-paid allowance.

The case continues.