A man has been jailed for three years and fined €5,000 after he was convicted of supplying and administering a dose of heroin that nearly claimed the life of a first-time user.

Louis Mallia, 47, was found guilty of giving heroin to his childhood friend, Clyde Bonavia, who was rushed to hospital in December 2000 and only survived thanks to the care he received from doctors, who immediately spotted fresh needle marks on his forearm.

The subsequent police investigation revealed that Mr Bonavia was with another two men at the time, Magistrate Miriam Hayman heard.

Mr Bonavia testified that Mr Mallia had approached him during Christmas and asked him whether he was interested in sharing some heroin with him because he had just received a social benefits payment.

He said he told Mr Mallia that he had never taken heroin before but his friend assured him that it would be okay and that if it was unpleasant, he could stop.

He said they stopped to buy the heroin from a certain Grezzju Camilleri in Valletta and since he had never taken heroin before, Mr Mallia administered it to him by injection.

“The next thing I knew I was waking up at the Intensive Therapy Unit,” Mr Bonavia said.

Mr Mallia testified that he and Mr Bonavia had just collected a €51 cheque so they caught the bus to Valletta and went to a flat in St Dominic Street.

He left the flat in the afternoon to go and sign the bail book at the Msida police station.

According to his version, when he returned he found Mr Bonavia asleep on a quilt on the floor. “He was snoring,” Mr Mallia said.

But he was not believed by Magistrate Hayman, who said court experts and all evidence pointed to him as having supplied and administered the near-fatal dose of heroin to someone who had never taken the drug before.

She found him guilty of heroin possession and of supplying the drug to Mr Bonavia.

Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Gatt prosecuted.