The case against a man charged with stalking the star witness in another criminal case against former police inspector David Gatt was yesterday deferred after the magistrate gave up waiting for the accused to be brought from prison.

The proceedings were meant to start at 9 a.m. and half an hour later the accused, Romeo Bone, had still not turned up. Police Inspectors Michael Mallia and Joseph Mercieca, who are prosecuting, tried to find out the whereabouts of the prison van but to no avail.

With other cases waiting to be heard, Magistrate Silvio Meli put off the case to Friday.

During his arraignment last week, Inspector Mallia had told the court that Mr Bone was a friend of Fabio Psaila, the “general” in the gang of Dr Gatt, who is accused of masterminding four major crimes.

Mr Bone was allegedly spotted three times in a single day outside the house of witness Police Constable Mario Portelli.

His lawyer Giannella Caruana Curran argued that her client had been arraigned merely because he drove through a main road.

PC Portelli is the principal witness on whom the police have built their case against Dr Gatt and Mr Psaila, who stand charged with being accomplices in the botched heist of the HSBC headquarters and other hold-ups.