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Man in court after teen's drug death

A man has pleaded not guilty to supplying MDMA following the death of Sydney teen Georgina Bartter.

Georgina May Bartter
A man has pleaded not guilty to supplying MDMA following the death of Sydney teen Georgina Bartter. (AAP)

A man charged with supplying MDMA following the death of Sydney teenager Georgina Bartter at a dance festival has pleaded not guilty.

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 on Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to possessing MDMA and three counts of supply.

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.

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When the 19-year-old was arrested at his home in Willoughby it is alleged he was in possession of the drug.

Forti is accused of supplying the drugs to Rebecca Hannibal who then allegedly passed it on to her best friend, Ms Bartter.

Hannibal, also 19, pleaded not guilty to supply last month.

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 19-year-old died in St Vincent's Hospital from multiple organ failure.

Forti is set to return to court in May.


2 min read

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Source: AAP


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