Trial by jury | Accused will not testify in his defence

Ronnie Azzopardi, 41 of Bormla, who faces a string of charges connected to a bomb explosion in Zejtun which cost the life of a 68-year-old woman and the serious injury of a bystander seven years ago, opted not to testify in his trial by jury before Mr. Justice Michael Mallia.

Lawyer Joseph Mifsud, who is appearing for Azzopardi, informed the court that his client will not be taking the witness stand in his defence, as is his right.

The announcement was made shortly after the Court adjourned its sitting this morning, when jurors were taken to the place in Zejtun where the explosion occurred in June 2005.

Azzopardi, known as 'is-Sufu', is also accused of the attempted murder of the intended victim, his sister-in-law (whose name cannot be mentioned by court order) and three of her children.

The case revolves around Azzopardi's alleged fixation to take a Mercedes Benz car which belonged to his murdered brother Jason, and which was inherited by his sister-in-law, who was to be the intended victim.

Addressing the jurors at the beginning of his submissions, lawyer Joe Mifsud stressed on the importance that they pay no attention to what was said in the media over the incident.

"In here it is a total ball game," Mifsud said, adding that so far the prosecution has brought no concrete evidence linking the accused to the bombing.

Evidence

The unintended victim of a bomb blast broke down in tears when she testified last week as she described the pain of having her skin burnt to the point that it was peeling off her arms.

Tessie Grima, 68, took the witness stand and told jurors how she thought the bomb was actually a battery when she looked into a grey plastic bag containing the remotely-controlled explosive device.

Grima survived the blast but her friend, Angela Bondin, died of severe burns after spending three weeks in intensive care.

She explained that it was a quiet summer day, with preparations underway in Zejtun for the feast of patron St. Catherine.

She was was on the roof with her husband, when she spotted a man driving a blue down the road and stop opposite her house. He got out and placed what she thought was a garbage bag on the pavement.

Grima remarked to her husband how uncivil it was for that man to leave the garbage there. He told her to leave the man alone and not pay attention but, very annoyed at the garbage bag, she waited for her husband to have his afternoon siesta and quietly left the house to remove it from the street.

Once out, she met a friend Angela Bondin who offered to help her carry the bag. She told her it was Ok and dragged the bag across the street because it was heavy.

She took the bag into a semi-constructed garage which belonged to her son.

At that moment, the bomb exploded, burning her skin and face.

She told the Court how her hair was on fire, she said, and suffered permanent disability to her right arm still hurt.

Grima spent about two weeks in hospital.