Tessie Grima’s husband identified bomber on video

Joseph Grima, whose wife Tessie was seriously injured by a bomb masterminded by Ronnie Azzopardi ‘is-Sufu’ in 2005 – was yesterday summonsed to testify in the appeals’ case filed by Azzopardi, who is claiming that the husband’s evidence during murder proceedings was influenced by a video.

Azzopardi, 42, of Cospicua, was last year handed a life term in jail after being found guilty of seriously injuring Grima’s wife and Angela Bondin – the latter subsequently succumbing to her injuries a few days after the explosion. Grima survived, maimed for life.

Azzopardi was also charged with the attempted murder of the partner of his dead brother and her three sons. The woman is believed to have been the target of the bomb over an alleged dispute of a Mercedes. 

Tessie Grima and Angela Bondin had ended being innocent victims of the bomb, after Tessie Grima and her husband Joseph, who were on their roof, spotted Ronnie Azzopardi disposing of a garbage bag. Unknown to Tessie Grima, the bag contained a bomb.

A few minutes later, Tessie Grima went out into the street and dragged the bag into a garage. The bag exploded, seriously injuring the women.

The case saw Tessie Grima’s husband Joseph testifying that he had recognised the accused placing the garbage bag in the street, and in addition, had identified the accused as the perpetrator when police presented him with pictures of several suspects– a key piece of evidence which linked Azzopardi to the bomb.

But in an appeal filed before the Court of Appeal, Ronnie Azzopardi is claiming that Joseph Grima had identified the accused as the perpetrator only after watching a video of a party attended by the accused.

Testifying before the Court of Appeal yesterday, Grima – who has a patchy memory – told the court that he failed to identify the accused from his rooftop and that he only took note of his stature.

In addition, Grima said, he only recognised him after the accused was pointed out “as the man suspected of carrying a bomb” while he was watching a video – just a week after the explosion had seriously injured his wife.