A robber who allegedly entered the residence of notorious Gozitan criminal Paschalino Cefai ended up leaving empty-handed and with serious facial injuries when the two got into a fight.
Cefai allegedly assaulted and seriously injured Viktor Markovic, a 39-year-old Serbian national who broke into his residence in Triq il-Madonna tac-Cicri in Zebbuġ, Gozo at around midday on Wednesday.
Police inspector Bernard Charles Spiteri told Magistrate Bridgette Sultana that Markovic suffered very serious injuries to his nose, with part of it bitten off by Cefai during the assault.
The inspector charged both men separately over the incident.
Markovic was charged with forced entry with the intention of committing theft, being in possession of a firearm at the time of the break-in, damaging Cefai's property, threatening him and relapsing.
He was also charged with breaching the conditions of a previous release since he is currently out on bail over an alleged hold-up in Naxxar last year with two accomplices. He was only granted bail in February this year.
43-year-old Cefai was charged with seriously injuring Markovic, without intent to kill him.
He was also charged with slightly injuring his partner during an unrelated incident on the night of August 7, threatening her with stones and other hard objects, assaulting her, damaging her car, causing her to fear violence and committing a crime while out on bail over a separate case. He had been granted bail in January this year over a fight he was involved in.
Cefai's defence lawyers Franco Debono and Charles Mercieca told the court that their client was asleep when Markovic entered his property and that he was only acting in self-defence.
Despite objections to bail requests by the prosecution, Magistrate Sultana granted Cefai bail against a €1,000 deposit and a €5,000 personal guarantee. Markovic was granted bail against a €1,000 deposit and a €14,000 personal guarantee.
Lawyer Joseph Grech was defence counsel to Markovic.
Cefai is synonymous with various crimes in Gozo, and was once described by a judge as a person who "terrorised Gozo" with his constant aggressive attitude.
He had also been involved in a stabbing incident inside a Gozo court room.