A Transport Malta employee who was obsessed with a female work colleague, would trace her every move, giving the impression that the two were in a relationship, a court was told on Tuesday.

Clifford Micallef, 49, is alleged to have subjected the woman to four months of intimidation that included trying to hack into her work computer, sending her unwanted flowers, and smashing glasses when she spoke to other men. He stands charged with harassing the woman, ultimately threatening to throw her off Dingli Cliffs.

A former colleague and friend, TM manager Albert Mark Sammut in testimony on Tuesday told the court that throughout the eight [working] hours he would spend with him [Micallef], he was always going on and on about her.

“Micallef was obsessed with her,” he said, referring to “certain stories” the accused would recount, claiming that he “went here and there with [the alleged victim.]”

At the time, Sammut and Micallef both worked at Transport Malta's Ports Security Offices at Lija which were subsequently relocated to Sa Maison.

While out on work duties together, Micallef once headed to Tarxien, Sammut recalled.

When he asked him why they had stopped on a particular street, the reply was that he wanted to show him where the woman lived.  

On other occasions, Micallef would head to Birkirkara, circling round a commercial establishment where the alleged victim worked part-time after work.

When Sammut expressed his disapproval, Micallef would simply reassure him, “Don’t worry. I’m a great friend of the minister and his chief of staff,” he would say.

The accused even knew the exact spot where his alleged victim parked her car.

While having tea at a shop close to the place where the woman worked, Micallef would sometimes get a call and soon afterwards, he would have all the details about her whereabouts and schedule.

When the woman purchased property, Micallef knew all about it, including details about the purchase price and all, went on the witness.

Sammut said that time and time again, he had tried to talk some sense into his colleague, telling him that he [Micallef] was a married man and a father, while the woman was in a relationship.

But Micallef apparently just would not listen.

When Sammut took a day off, he would invariably get a call from the alleged victim the next day asking, “were you on leave yesterday? I realized! Because Clifford spent the whole day here [in my office].”

That state of affairs ultimately prompted Sammut to ask his superiors to change his work duties so that he would no longer work alongside Micallef.

Sammut recalled that one day in June 2022, the alleged victim’s director sent for him and asked him about his job duties.

He then asked why Micallef went to ports at the weekend, given that they worked Mondays to Fridays.

Their superiors at Transport Malta subsequently ordered Micallef to steer clear of ports.

They also told Micallef that they were taking away his office car because of abuse.

One day, David Attard, Director Maritime Security Compliance and Monitoring Department, momentarily left a meeting he was having with Micallef and called Sammut, telling him to, “please call [the alleged victim] and speak to her, because Clifford has just told me that he wants to throw her off Dingli Cliffs.”

The witness said that ever since they were given different work duties, Micallef had sulked and the two had drifted apart. 

Asked by defence lawyer Albert Zerafa whether Micallef had ever told him that the woman used to chase him Micallef in her car, Sammut said that Micallef had told him that she had overtaken him and had taken photos of him.

But when he recounted that to the alleged victim, she had simply stared in disbelief, Sammut concluded.

The case, presided over by Magistrate Astrid May Grima, continues in April.

Lawyer Marita Pace Dimech assisted the alleged victim who followed proceedings in court.