Salvino Mangion, the 71-year-old man accused of murdering his neighbour, Kyle Mifsud, returned to court on Monday following a heart attack during the previous sitting. The accused claimed that the victim had extorted so much money from him that he “could not even afford a cup of tea”, according to a Times of Malta court report.Mangion, who denies the charges, appeared before Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia on Monday afternoon after being discharged from hospital. As he entered the courtroom, he blew kisses towards his defence lawyer, Dr Franco Debono.Neighbours Recount Day of the ShootingTwo of Mangion’s neighbours, Emmanuel and Ruth Bellotti, gave evidence during the hearing.Bellotti testified that on 21st September at around 12.45pm, he was returning to his flat when he heard someone whimpering but did not think much of it. His wife then remarked that she had heard a loud noise, suspecting that “they [Mifsud and his partner] had broken down Salvu’s door again.”When Bellotti went into the common area, he saw a man sitting on the floor clutching his face. Moments later, there was a loud banging on his door. When he opened it, he found the alleged victim, Mifsud, kicking at it.“Leave my door alone,” he recalled saying.“Salvu shot me,” Mifsud allegedly replied, showing him a wound under his rolled-up T-shirt. Bellotti immediately phoned the Bormla Police Station, asking them to send medics.At first, he did not recognise the injured man, it was only after he saw photos uploaded to Facebook that he realised it was Mifsud who once lived opposite his mother’s house.He later went downstairs to fetch a pair of gloves from his car to clean up the blood but was prevented from re-entering his flat by the police.Bellotti testified that Mifsud frequently visited Mangion’s home, often with a woman. Days before the shooting, Mangion had told Bellotti’s wife, “They left me without any money – I do not have money to buy a cup of tea.” The couple assumed he was referring to Mifsud and his partner.Under cross-examination by Dr Debono, the witness explained that they initially thought Mifsud had broken down Mangion’s door again, as he had done previously. He added that Mifsud sometimes visited alone, other times accompanied by a woman known as Donna Camilleri, and occasionally they came together.Asked to describe Mangion’s character, Bellotti said he was a good man, “not one capable of doing such a thing”.“They Looked Like They Were on Drugs”Ruth Bellotti confirmed her husband’s account. She told the court that Mifsud and Camilleri had been visiting Mangion regularly for about three years and were often joined by other women, including a redhead and two blondes.When asked if she knew why they visited, she said she had overheard them asking the elderly man for money.“These people looked like they were on drugs. Some three weeks before the incident, I met Salvu, he was sad, he was going to the police station to file a report because they left him without any money,” she testified.Bellotti, who has known the accused for roughly 30 years, described him as a family man with whom they had never had problems – though she admitted being annoyed by his frequent visitors.Sons Describe Years of HarassmentMangion’s two sons, Jonathan and Brian, also took the witness stand.Jonathan testified that his father had long been harassed by a couple demanding money. He said that he had warned them to stop and gave their photos to the police. “I’d seen them near my father’s home and told Mifsud several times to leave him alone,” he said.Neighbours often contacted him to report seeing his father being pushed or assaulted in the street. “What can you do in those situations – take the law into your own hands?” he asked.On the day of the shooting, Jonathan received a phone call urging him to “come quickly because your father is going to jump.” When he asked why, the caller replied, “Because he shot someone.”He went to Birgu, where he met a police inspector and took him to his father. Only during questioning at police headquarters did he realise that the victim was the same man who had previously broken into his father’s flat.Jonathan added that two or three years ago, he had installed a camera in his father’s home that recorded whenever the front door opened. “This has been going on for years. I used to report it to the Bormla police, but I stopped when nothing was done. They wouldn’t even leave him money for food,” he said.Brian Mangion testified that his brother called him saying, “The old man did it – he shot someone.” He initially did not believe it. “I call my father every day. He never mentioned any problems. I had no idea anything was wrong,” he told the court.He explained that his father had lived with him for two years before moving out because of the people who were constantly demanding money.The case is being heard before Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia.The prosecution is led by Kaylie Bonett from the Attorney General’s Office, assisted by Inspectors Stephen Gulia, Francesca Calleja, and Keith Rizzo.Dr Franco Debono and Dr Adreana Zammit are representing the accused, while Dr Nicholas and Dr Mario Mifsud are appearing for the victim’s family.The case continues later this week.Featured images: TVM News (left)•