A Serbian man found dead at a Buġibba flat in 2014 had been killed by a single stab wound and no particular force had been used by the killer as the knife had missed the ribs, an expert said today.

Testifying during the trial by jury of construction worker Emil Atanasov, 29, clinical forensic medicine expert Mario Scerri told jurors there were no signs on the deceased that the knife’s handle had touched the skin.

Mr Atanasov is pleading not guilty to the wilful homicide of Krstic Dragoljub, inflicting grievous bodily harm on Zoran Jocic and carrying a knife during the commission of a crime.

Reading out the conclusions of his report, Dr Scerri said that the wound was caused by a single-edged pointed blade which had penetrated one side of the heart’s ventricle horizontally. The deceased has also suffered various bruises and abrasions caused by a knife.

As for the accused, Dr Scerri noted that he had suffered a grievous injury on the upper part of his right eye and bruises on the right side of his neck and upper torso. However, the expert pointed out that there was no evidence of strangulation on the defendant’s body.

The accused is insisting that he stabbed the Serbian in self-defence, claiming the latter had pinned him against a well and tried to strangle him. Both sides were involved in an argument over loud music which was being played at the defendant’s apartment, late at night.

Dr Scerri said that the large blood splattering at the scene of the crime indicated that the victim was very close to a wall when he was fatally stabbed.

While confirming that the two man had been involved in a fight, the expert noted that the injuries suffered by the victim were much more serious.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Malcolm Mifsud objected to part of the report which said that the deceased had received a beating.

“It is as if the victim had met [Mike] Tyson,” the defence remarked.

On Dr Mifsud’s request, Dr Scerri examined the accused’s right eye in the courtroom and confirmed that the scar caused by the injury of two years ago, was still visible.

Eventually, Judge Antonio Mizzi, who is presiding the trial, intervened, saying that it was an issue of “semantics”. At this stage Dr Scerri reiterated that the victim and the accused had been involved in a fight, with the former suffering more serious wounds.

Dr Mifsud also suggested that a wound on the left hand of the accused could have been caused by a knife. After seeing the photographs, Dr Scerri concluded that this could have been the case adding that he had missed them during his examination as the defendant had been handcuffed and his hands had not been washed at the time.

Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and lawyer Elaine Mercieca are prosecuting. The trial continues tomorrow.