Diplomat house search abandoned

2003-11-03 19:28

Johannesburg - Gauteng police are investigating a charge of assault after a 12-year-old girl ate sweets apparently laced with drugs on Friday, police said on Monday.

Senior Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said police acting on a tip-off briefly searched a house on Friday. The search was abandoned when they realised the home belonged to a Norwegian diplomat.

Martins-Engelbrecht said the diplomat was not a suspect but that police were investigating a case of assault against the girl.

Under international law, diplomatic immunity protects embassy and consular officials against arrest or prosecution by the host country.

She said the girl was discharged from hospital on Saturday.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said earlier on Monday his department was talking with the police because of the diplomat's involvement on the case.

The girl was admitted to hospital on Friday after eating sweets laced with drugs in Douglasdale, north of Johannesburg on Friday.

The sweets were apparently given to her by a neighbour.

The girl's parents notified the police when she began hallucinating.

- SAPA