A man described in court on Tuesday how he was repeatedly stabbed in his bed after complaining to his flatmate that he was not letting him sleep.

Daniele Vitale, 23, from Palermo stands accused of the attempted murder of his flatmate and co-national, Mirko Basile in St Julian's last month.

Taking the witness stand, before Magistrate Gabriella Vella, Mr Basile recalled how,over the past few months, he had been sharing a flat with three other men, including Mr Vitale, who occasionally invited friends over.

There had been no previous arguments between the two men, save for a slight disagreement over the allocation of cleaning chores.

On September 28 he had just returned from Italy and after going out to buy pizza from the establishment where Mr Vitale worked, had returned home and gone to bed.

Some time later the doorbell rang and it was Mr Vitale, who had left his keys behind.” Mr Basile said his friend appeared to have been under the influence of drugs.

“It wasn’t the first time and we know what he’s like.”

“A while later Daniele returned, opened the door to my bedroom and said ‘my girlfriend is coming home’…I said ‘Daniele do what you want but let me sleep.’”

“He came back a second time and told me ‘Mirko the bouncers chucked me out and stole 100 euros.’ I said ‘Daniele, I don’t care, let me sleep.’”

Shortly afterwards, the witness recalled how he heard the bedroom door opening and caught sight of a mobile phone light approach him before he suddenly heard his flatmate say, “This is for not helping me,” as he was stabbed in the stomach.

“I ran to the kitchen and picked up the ironing board to try and fight him off but I couldn’t because I was tired and injured.” 

The victim suffered a ruptured tendon in his right wrist and also needed stitches on his right bicep, his neck,  his side and chest. 

Cross-examined by defence lawyer Marion Camilleri he said there were “absolutely no arguments” or disagreements with the accused save for verbal arguments on account of Mr Vitale’s disorganized ways.

Asked whether the argument had broken out over a towel, the witness replied: “Absolutely not. I was asleep.”

“So the argument erupted over nothing?” asked the lawyer. “I don’t know what he was angry about…He looked more agitated than usual, like when someone is on drugs,” replied the victim.

Upon a question by lawyer Franco Debono, the witness denied having punched his flatmate.

The case continues.

Legal procurator Peter Paul Zammit appeared parte civile