Silvio Pace, the father of Brandon Pace who was stabbed to death in his home in Hamrun last Sunday evening, was granted bail today after he was arraigned over charges of theft.

He is accused of stealing some €4,000 from an apartment in Xemxija.

The court was told that since the man's ordinary residence had been the scene of his son's murder last Sunday and was currently sealed off by criminal investigators, Mr Pace would have to reside elsewhere.

The accused, 48, pleaded not guilty to the charges of theft from an apartment which is used as the residence of the Carmelite Friars, responsible for the church in Xemxija.

The incident is said to have taken place on 25 March.

Testifying in court, a monk described how at around 7.30am on the morning of 25 March he was returning home from church and observed a blue vehicle parked outside the apartment.

He then described how he had observed an unknown man stepping over a railing of the verandah which led into another monk's bedroom, which happened to be overlooking the street.

The court heard how when the unknown man had spotted the monk, he pulled up his hood and dashed off. The witness confirmed that the accused was the unknown man he spotted, pointing at him in court.

A request for bail was put forward, with the defence counsel stating that since the initial arraignment in relation to this case, there have been many developments in the accused's life. The prosecution made clear that all civilian witnesses had already been called upon to testify.

The court, presided over by magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona, accepted the request for bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €5,000. The accused is to reside at his daughter's home in Siggiewi while on bail.

Inspector Nicholas Vella prosecuted.

Lawyer Emanuel Bianco was defence counsel.