A convicted quadruple killer stabbed and beat a man to death believing he was a paid assassin sent from Albania to avenge a double shooting, a court has heard.

Mane Driza, 41, known as Scarface film character Tony Montana, is accused of murdering fellow Albanian Stefan Bledar Mone, 23, in June 1999.

He allegedly attacked Mr Mone at his flat in Wembley north London, inflicting more than 120 injuries with a lock knife, pick axe handle and curved cheese knife.

Two years before, Driza, going by the name Sokol Drenova, had fled Albania to escape police after shooting dead father and son Elmaz and Lavdosh Kannani, jurors were told.

Following Mr Mone’s death, he went to Italy where he went on to shoot and kill two more people at a bar in Catania, Sicily, months later, in December 1999.

In July 2000, a Scotland Yard officer travelled to Sicily to speak to Driza in prison about Mr Mone’s death.

Stefan Bledar Mone
Stefan Bledar Mone was the victim of an alleged attack in 1999 at the hands of Mane Driza (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Retired Detective Chief Inspector George Couch read from a transcript of the interview with Driza, as told through translators.

Driza said he came to Britain “to escape from the Albanian police and also from the relatives of his victims in Albania who wanted to take their revenge on him”.

While living in London he met and married a woman called Rosie, and when they split up, he moved in with Mr Mone.

Mr Couch said: “He was sure of one thing – that Bledar Mone was paid to kill him, because before this Bledar Mone was in prison together with the man he killed in Albania.

“He went to live with him because he had caused him to gain his trust.”

On the day of the killing, Driza said Mr Mone had come at him with a knife and struck him with a baseball bat.

“After that he lost control. He does not remember how long he stayed there.

“He saw a lot of blood. He does not remember because he lost control of himself. The whole problem was Bledar Mone wanted to kill him.

“First Bledar Mone hit him then he says perhaps he hit him too. He remembers the moment he hit him with the knife,” the officer said.

Referring to the Albanian shootings, the victim’s last words to him were: “You have killed so many – two – that’s enough now,” the court was told.

In 2001, in Albania, Driza was convicted with his father of two charges of “premeditated murder in complicity of citizens”.

In June 2002, he was convicted in Sicily of conspiracy to murder Maskaj Artan and Blushaj Albert, and the attempted murder of Maskaj Lefter.

Driza declined to give evidence in his defence.

Judge Sarah Munro QC told jurors they could draw “such inferences as appear proper”.

Driza, of no fixed address, has denied the murder of Mr Mone and the Old Bailey trial continues.