A court was told today how a breakthrough in a 1984 murder case came about in 2005 when the police were tipped off about a person’s possible involvement.

Police Inspector Chris Pullicino, testifying in the murder trial of Salvatore Mangion, said that in 2005 he received a tip-off that Mangion was involved in the fatal stabbing of Rosina Zammit, 54 of Safi.

When the police questioned Mr Mangion had had initially categorically denied his involvement, but then all of a sudden he had a change of heart and said he wanted to cooperate with the police in their investigations.

In his statement to the police, Mr Mangion had said he had been on the lookout for Ms Zammit and spoke to her often outside her house.

One day, while Ms Zammit was at Mass, he was drinking in a bar close to the church. When she returned home he knocked on the door and as soon as she opened he walked in. She started shouting and he started hitting her in her neck and chest.

“I don’t remember how many times I stabbed her but they were many,” he told the police.

He then ran into the bedroom and found Lm200 (€466) and two ceramic statuettes.

He left the house and caught a bus to Zejtun where he changed his bloodstained clothes and threw away the knife in a water cistern.

He spent the money he stole in Paceville later that same day.

The accused had also told the police that the knife had belonged to his mother and was about 30 long. He said he took it with him to kill the woman so she would not tell the police about him. He wore no gloves and no balaclava.

The trial continues.