Boy, 16, arraigned over friend's heroin overdose
Victim dies in hospital
A 16-year-old boy was yesterday charged with trafficking in heroin and involuntarily causing his friend, also 16, to overdose on the drug.
The victim died in hospital late yesterday afternoon, two days after he was admitted to hospital in a critical condition. In view of this, the accused will now be charged with involuntary homicide, the police said.
The victim was rushed to hospital on Sunday morning after he was found lying unconscious in a Marsascala flat, the police said.
The young accused pulled the sleeves of his hooded, green sweater over his knuckles as he stood in the dock and pleaded not guilty to involuntarily causing his friend to overdose on heroin on Saturday. At that point in time the victim was still alive.
He also pleaded not guilty to trafficking in heroin and to the possession of the drug within 100 metres of a school or youth centre.
When discussing bail, Police Inspector Nadia Lanzon, prosecuting, objected in light of the serious nature of the case - that resulted in a 16-year-old boy overdosing.
She added there was the fear that the accused would tamper with evidence or even abscond.
Lawyers José Herrera and Roberto Montalto, for the accused, argued that it would be illegal not to grant their client bail. First of all the boy still lived with his parents and did not even have a passport or the money to escape.
Dr Herrera added that the boy had already issued a statement to the police admitting to showing his friend from where they could buy drugs. The two boys had then each injected themselves with two syringes yet they had had a different effect as the victim suffered an overdose while his client did not.
"My client is a 16-year-old idiot who just recently started experimenting with drugs," Dr Herrera said. Parliament was discussing the issue of drug sharing in connection with the law on drug abuse.
This was because reports showed that several people had died of an overdose because their peers, who would be sharing drugs with them, were scared to take them to hospital for fear of the legal consequences - that is being charged with drug trafficking.
After hearing the submissions, Magistrate Giovanni Grixti granted the boy bail on the condition he does not leave his parent's home and bound him by a personal guarantee of Lm500.