David Gatt, 32, of Gzira was today charged with the murder of 18-year-old Rachel Bowdler who died of a drug overdose eight years ago.

His arraignment comes three years after a family was jailed for its involvement in the young woman's death in May 2001.

Mr Gatt pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Bowdler and trafficking in heroin and cocaine and was denied bail.

In June 2006 a woman and her son were sentenced to a total of 40 years behind bars for their involvement in the murder of the young woman who was left in a field in an area known as Ras Il-Gebel, in the limits of Mgarr on May 13, 2001. Concetta Decelis was jailed for 15 years and her son Jason for 25 in the first ever conviction in Malta for what is known as murder by omission.

The court found that they had left Ms Bowdler to die of a drug overdose to avoid getting into trouble with the law after the young woman overdosed. Carmel Decelis, the father, was jailed for one-and-a-half years as he was cleared of murder but was found guilty of involuntary homicide.

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