Mother says her flat ended up a 'disaster'

A woman told a court yesterday how the morning after she and her family spent the night at her sister's apartment in Bugibba they learnt that their Fgura home had been extensively damaged by an explosion in an underlying garage.

Sabrina Buckland explained that as June 7 is a public holiday she and her family had spent the previous night last year at her sister's apartment.

But at about nine that morning she received a phone call informing her that there had been an explosion in the garage rented by Edgar Grima and as a result her apartment was made uninhabitable.

Buckland testified before Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona in the compilation of evidence against Grima, 44, of Tarxien who is pleading not guilty to involuntarily causing more than Lm1,000 of damage to the detriment of several people.

Grima is also charged with two counts of manufacturing fireworks in a residential area, storing explosives without a licence and keeping explosives based on potassium chloride in Fgura on June 7 last year.

Buckland explained that she and her husband lived in the apartment above the garage rented by Grima with their baby and had bought the apartment before they got married. She said she had seen Grima do some woodwork and panel beating in the garage but had never seen him work on fireworks.

After being informed about the explosion she and her husband went there immediately and saw that their apartment was a "disaster".

If fact, she added, they were allowed back into their home only after architectural supports had been put in place 10 days after the explosion.

Buckland said that apart from the damage caused to their apartment she had suffered the inconveniences of living in a Sta Lucija government apartment that had a lot of damage to it and was so small that furniture could hardly fit inside.

PS Joseph John Grech explained that when he was informed that there had been an explosion in a Fgura garage he immediately went on site.

There he saw Grima, whom he knew, being carried out of the garage and suffering from burns and other injuries. The sergeant then walked into the garage and was immediately struck by the strong smell of thinner.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Jesmond Borg is prosecuting.

Dr Edward Gatt is appearing for Grima.