Ronnie Azzopardi known as ‘Is-Sufu’, 41, from Cospicua has today stared facing a trial by jury charged with the murder of Angela Bondin and four counts of attempted murder of Mary Rose Cassar and her sons Jesmar, 7, Jean Leon, 4, and 20-month old Kevin, following the alleged placement of a bomb in Zejtun on June 18, 2005.

The man is also being accused of seriously injuring Therese Grima, damaging the property of Antoine Grima and damaging a vehicle owned by Alexander Grech.

On the day of the incident a bomb placed in a bag had exploded at around 10.30h in Our Lady of Sorrows Street, Zejtun. Therese Grima was taken to hospital by her son while Angela Bondin was left lying on the ground, surrounded with people and waiting for an ambulance. The woman, 48 from Paola was on the way to visit her father and when she saw Therese Grima picking up a bag she offered to help her. Ms Grima told her not to bother and placed the bag under a construction boundary wall. Moments later an explosion took place with both women suffering serious injuries. On July 8, Angela Bondin died at St. Lukes Hospital.

During the compilation of evidence, witnesses had claimed that at around 10.30h on the day of the incident, two people in a grey car had parked close to the site and one of them placed a plastic bag under a letter box across the road from the garage where the explosion took place. Therese Grima saw the plastic bag on the ground and decided to take it to her son's garage because the garbage truck had already passed.

After placing the bag in a corner in the garage, she met Ms Bondin and the two women were talking when the explosion happened. The bill of indictment holds that the incident is related to inheritance issues over a Mercedes which was owned by the accused’s brother, Jason Azzopardi, who was killed in Cospicua in 2001. 

Superintendent Carmelo Bartolo said that following investigations it resulted that Ronnie Azzopardi known as “Is-Sufu” had wanted to kill Mary Rose Cassar because the accused’s brother Jason had left her a Mercedes Benz.

Judge Michael Mallia heard how Mary Rose Cassar herself had claimed that Ronnie Azzopardi had been threatening her because of the Mercedes and that people had told her that the accused is trying to buy a bomb to blow her up. Witnesses confirmed that the bomb was planted not far away from where a Cassar’s Peugeot was parked.

The Superintendent told the Court how a certain Matthew Pace who knew the accused had told a social worker that Azzopardi had told him to kill Cassar. This information was passed to the police and it resulted that the accused was ready to give a weapon, a car and money to someone to lure Cassar to bed and kill her. Pace told the police he had never accepted this proposal.

Dr. Joseph Mifsud is appearing as defence for the accused while lawyers Maurizio Cordina and Philip Galea Farrugia are representing the Attorney General.

The jury continues on tomorrow at 09:00h.