Heroin dealer jailed for involuntary homicide

A man who sold heroin to another man who overdosed on it was yesterday jailed for six years and fined €7,000 after being found guilty of involuntary homicide.

The 32-year-old, Adrian Bianchi, had sold drugs to Jason Sammut, 24, and his friend Leon Madden who were both found unconscious by Mr Sammut's mother, Carmela.

The two cooked the drug and injected it while they were in Mr Sammut's bedroom but after everything fell silent, the mother decided to check on them. The door was locked and she got no response.

Around half an hour later, Mr Madden ran out of the bedroom shouting for help and Mrs Sammut called for an ambulance after finding her son unconscious on the floor. He was certified dead by the ambulance doctor.

In a police statement, Mr Madden said the two had bought the drug from a man who was known as Tal-Koku and they decided to take some before going out.

At one point, Mr Madden lost consciousness and as he came round he found Mr Sammut on the floor unconscious. That is when he called for help.

Taking the witness stand, Mr Bianchi denied ever selling the heroin to the men. However, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said his testimony was not credible and it was inconsistent especially during cross- examination.

She said there was no doubt he had sold the drugs to the young men which resulted in the death of Mr Sammut and he was, therefore, guilty of involuntary homicide.