Court confirms jail term for heroin pusher

An appeal court yesterday confirmed a 36-month jail term handed down to a Valletta woman for trafficking in heroin and selling it to minors seven years ago.

Josette Bickle, 33, was also fined Lm200 for trafficking in heroin and selling it to minors between May 16 and September 4, 1996 and for stealing several items to the detriment of Richard Spiteri on September 4, 1996 and relapsing.

Bickle appealed claiming that evidence heard in the Magistrates' Court was not credible because witnesses had tried to put all the blame on her.

She also claimed that the Magistrates' Court's judgment had not taken into consideration the fact that she had attended a drug rehabilitation programme. She argued that since the programme involved her confinement the time spent in the programme should be deducted from the jail term.

But after evaluating the evidence, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono ruled that the evidence showed "without a shadow of a doubt" that Bickle had trafficked in heroin over a period of time and sold it to minors.

The judge noted that she faced a punishment ranging from nine months to 20 years imprisonment and the Magistrates' Court had been rather lenient especially when one considered the serious nature of the crime.

Mr Justice Galea Debono added that Bickle had chosen to attend the rehabilitation programme for her own good and, despite the fact that attending the programme meant confinement, it could not be compared to jail and could not be considered as preventive custody.

For these reasons the judge turned down her appeal and confirmed the original judgment.

Last Tuesday Bickle was arraigned and charged with trafficking in cocaine and heroin over the past two months.