He has been addicted for 18 months, had stopped but used drugs again. Initially he smoked marijuana. Expert witness dr Denny Tong said LM could not sleep if had not taken the drug,"Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - A 14-year-old Australian boy being tried for a drug offense in Bali admitted that he had been a drug addict for the past 18 months.
He made the confession during a session to hear witnesses at the Denpasar District Court here on Friday.
"He just now confessed he had been using narcotic drugs over the past 18 months after someone lured him into the habit," public prosecutor I Gusti Putu Gede Atmaja said after the session.
In the closed-door session presided by sole judge Amzer Simanjuntak, the Australian teenager identified by his initials as LM pleaded guilty and said he always became depressed if he did not consume drugs.
"He has been addicted for 18 months, had stopped but used drugs again. Initially he smoked marijuana. Expert witness dr Denny Tong said LM could not sleep if had not taken the drug," he said.
Eight witnesses were heard during the session, including the boy`s parents, two police officers, an official from the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and an official from the Child Protection Institute (LPA).
During the session it was also turned out that the defendant had used marijuana before arriving in Bali for a holiday.
LM was caught by narcotic police at around 3pm on October 4, 2011 in Legian, Kuta, Bali, carrying 6.9 grams gross of marijuana.
He told the police during questioning that he had bought the illegal drug from someone he did not know in Kuta. During questioning he was accompanied by a psychiatrist and a psychologist. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
