Beatlemania is alive and well 40 years after the band shot to fame. The group's Greatest Hits album went on sale at midnight, but fans of the Fab Four will also be watching a certain court case very closely.

For music lovers across the globe will be focusing on Oxford Crown Court, as the man accused of stabbing George Harrison stands trial.

The band's album, The Beatles One, went on sale this week and shops in London opened at midnight to cope with demand. Pop pundits are forecasting an instant hit.

Michael Abram, 33, from Huyton, Liverpool, is alleged to have broken into the rock legend's home, in Henley-on-Thames, on December 30 last year.

Harrison, 56, suffered a collapsed lung in the attack and his wife Olivia, 51, was hit over the head.

The incident shocked music lovers who set up thousands of websites documenting their anger at the attack and pledging support for their hero.

Abram has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one of aggravated burglary. He has been held at the medium secure psychiatric unit at the Scott Clinic, in Rainhill, near St Helens, Merseyside, under orders by Oxford magistrates.

Shockingly, the attack came almost exactly 20 years after fellow Beatle John Lennon was shot dead by a stalker outside his New York apartment.

After he was released from hospital, Harrison and his wife fled to Ireland to recover after the attack.

The couple could not believe their eyes when the thousands of messages of support flooded in. Harrison said at the time: "Olivia and I are overwhelmed by the concern expressed by so many people. We thank everyone for their prayers and kindness."

Harrison had lived at the mansion, in Friar Park, near the centre of historic Henley for 20 years and security is tight.

The stabbing was not the first incident Harrison and his family have had to deal with.

Three years ago threats were received that his house would be firebombed and he had been warned an American was stalking him in 1996.

Just days before the stabbing, a woman broke into his home in Hawaii, cooked a frozen pizza and helped herself to a can of root beer before calling her mother.

Thousands of web-pages with anthologies, guides, shops, museums and even a range of baby clothes are devoted to the Fab Four.

A whole industry still surrounds the group, and Beatles' experts will be watching closely for news from the courtroom for the latest twist in a thrilling, and sometimes sad, saga of Britain's best-loved band.