A man who was jailed for 20 years for his part in a Paola photo studio explosion which killed a mother and her baby son in 1992, was back in court today, accused of stealing tools from a Hamrun residence.

Silvio Pace and another two men had been convicted of complicity in causing a fire which led to the death of  Yvette Bonnici, 24, and her son Sean, who was just 18 months old.

They were also found guilty of attempted insurance fraud.

The court had heard how Pace and another man, Vincent Spiteri, were instructed by John Polidano to set fire to Oxford Studio.

Things got out of hand when chemicals exploded, demolishing an apartment at the back of the studio and killing the mother and her son. The adjoining Paola Labour Party club was also demolished.

The three were originally sentenced to life imprisonment, which was reduced to 20 years on appeal.

In today's arraignment, Silvio Pace, now 42, and Shaun Debono, 38, both of Hamrun, were accused of stealing the tools and holding stolen property from a house in Hamrun last Saturday.

Pace was also accused of relapsing while Debono was accused of violating the conditions of a previous release.

Both pleaded not guilty and were granted bail - Debono against a deposit of €100 and a personal guarantee of €10,000 and Pace against a deposit of €200 and a personal guarantee of €15,000.