Rebecca Hannibal's tragic mistake

Georgina Bartter

Some people might think that Rebecca Hannibal is about to get off lightly for supplying her best friend Georgina Bartter with ecstasy tablets that led to her death.  

The two friends were at a dance party on Sydney Harbour in November last year, looking forward to a great night out.  But it turned into a nightmare when Georgina collapsed and later died in hospital.

The tablets called "purple speakers" were stamped, originated in Europe and cost $40 each.

They say that taking MDMA at dance parties is considered more socially acceptable than getting drunk on alcohol. It removes inhibitions and allows people to feel happy at these events.

Sadly, Georgina Bartter believed it and now she's dead.

Rebecca Hannibal pleaded guilty in April to supplying the drugs to her friend.  Her Barrister Phillip Boulton SC asked the judge not to record a conviction and to limit the sentence to a good behaviour bond.

He told the court that people were being nasty to her on social media and that it was punishment enough.  She was suffering "symptoms of anxiety and depression" and has moved to Melbourne. "The grief involved in the Bartter family can only be guessed at but my client and her family are also grieving" he said.

"This is an extraordinary burden for anyone let alone someone charged with this offence, she has a lot to deal with that young people don't normally have to deal with."

Hannibal bought the drugs from drug dealer Matthew Forti before the music festival and assisted police which led to his arrest.

Hannibal will be sentenced next week.

Edit 26 June 2015:  Rebecca Hannibal, the NSW teenager who supplied ecstasy pills that killed her best friend Georgina Bartter at a Sydney dance party, has been sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour bond.