A magistrate yesterday ruled that there were sufficient reasons for the indictment of a Cospicua man charged with the murder of a woman and the attempted murder of a mother and her three children when he planted a bomb in Zejtun three months ago.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima ruled for the indictment of 33-year-old Ronnie Azzopardi who is pleading not guilty to the murder of Angela Bondin and trying to kill Mary Rose Cassar and her sons Jesmar, 7, Jean Leon, 4, and 20-month old Kevin on June 18.

He is also pleading not guilty to seriously injuring Therese Grima and damaging the property of Antoine Grima and Alexander Grech's van.

The magistrate yesterday heard Police Inspector Carmelo Bartolo testify in detail about the investigations leading up to Mr Azzopardi's arraignment.

On June 18 the police were informed that there had been an explosion in Zejtun and that Mrs Bondin and Mrs Grima had been injured when something exploded in a nearby garage.

Debris found in the area suggested that the explosion had been caused by an explosive device.

Mrs Grima's husband, Joseph, informed the inspector that earlier that morning he and his wife had seen a man place a white bag near a letter box across the road from the garage. Mrs Grima had cleared the bag out of the road and placed it in their son's garage because of the village feast.

The inspector later spoke to Mrs Grima in hospital. She explained that there was something shaped like a box in the bag with wires jutting out of it and she wanted to ask her husband what it was. She said she had no clue it was a bomb when she dragged it into her son's garage.

Soon after, she met Mrs Bondin, who lived in Paola and was in Zejtun to run an errand, and as the two women were chatting the explosion took place.

Inspector Bartolo added that as he was on the scene of the incident he noticed a woman walk towards a car. The woman was familiar to him and as she walked closer he realised it was Mary Rose Cassar, one of the "concubines" of the late Jason Azzopardi, the brother of the accused.

The officer approached Ms Cassar who told him she was having problems with the accused over a Mercedes. She also said that someone had told her that Mr Azzopardi had been enquiring about the purchase of explosives.

The inspector added that an identification parade was organised and both Mr and Mrs Grima recognised Mr Azzopardi as the man who placed the bag near the letter box.

The police inspector had been testifying for close to an hour when it was realised that the tape recorder had stopped running, failing to register a part of his testimony. In order to ensure which part of his evidence had not been recorded the magistrate decided to suspend his testimony to the next sitting to give time for a transcription to be made so that Mr Bartolo would know exactly which part of the evidence he had covered and at what point he had to continue.

The case continues.