Bartter's best friend changes supply plea to guilty
The best friend of a Sydney teenager who overdosed at a dance party has changed her plea to guilty.
Rebecca Hannibal, who was allegedly bought the MDMA from accused drug-dealer Matthew Forti, pleaded guilty to supplying Georgina Bartter with the drug.
Ms Bartter was found collapsed at the Harbourlife dance party in November after her friends say she took one-and-a-half pills of what they believed was ecstasy.
Following her death, a strike force was set up to investigate drug supply in Sydney and in February officers arrested Matthew Forti.
The 19-year-old appeared briefly at Downing Centre Local Court last month where he pleaded not guilty to possessing MDMA and three counts of supply.
BREAKING: Rebecca Hannibal pleads guilty to supplying the drug that killed best friend Georgina Bartter @7NewsSydney
— Samantha Brett (@samanthabrett) April 15, 2015
Court papers state Forti allegedly supplied the psychoactive drug in suburbs across Sydney's north shore between October and November and in January and February.
When the 19-year-old was arrested at his home in Willoughby it is alleged he was in possession of the drug.
Sydney's Harbourlife dance party. Photo: @EllisJago via Twitter
Hannibal, now 20, pleaded not guilty to supply last month, but on Wednesday changed her plea to guilty.
She did not appear in court.
Friends of Ms Bartter told police at the time that the University of Technology student had taken one-and-a-half pills.
But her family believed she may have had an allergic reaction.
The Bartter family said Georgina would never have taken the drugs knowingly.
The 19-year-old died in St Vincent's Hospital from multiple organ failure.
Forti is set to return to court in May.
