16-year-old boy dies in suspected drug incident at Leeds Festival
A boy of 16 years old has died after reportedly taking “a grey or black oblong shape” ecstasy tablet at Leeds Festival over the weekend. West Yorkshire police were called to the festival site on Saturday night and arrived around 10.16pm. They were informed that the teenage boy had fallen ill shortly after taking the pill and had been taken to the medical tent.
The unnamed boy was subsequently taken to hospital but died early on Sunday morning. Since then, West Yorkshire police have launched an investigation into the incident. Speaking in a recent statement, Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson said: “While the exact cause of his death is yet to be established, one line of enquiry is that he had taken a particular type of ecstasy (MDMA) tablet, which was described as a grey or black oblong shape.”
They added: “We are continuing to conduct enquiries on site and are liaising closely with the event organisers.” Police are urging anyone who feels ill after consuming a substance at the festival to seek medical attention as quickly as possible.
Hankinson continued: “Your body weight, hormone levels, using other drugs or alcohol, and your underlying health can all have a significant impact on how you react to a drug. Your friends might have taken the same drug and not had any ill effects. There is no safe dose.”
Leeds Festival organisers are working closely with police as the investigation continues. Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, said he was “truly saddened about this tragedy”.
Benn added: “The safety and wellbeing of all our festival goers is always our absolute priority and we remind all festival goers that there is no safe way to take prohibited drugs and there are no safe prohibited drug.”
Leeds festival wrapped up on Sunday night with headline performances from Bring Me The Horizon and Arctic Monkeys. Festival goers were also treated to sets by Dave, Megan Thee Stallion and Little Simz on Saturday. Anyone with information about the above incident is asked to contact police or security on site, call 101, or visit the West Yorkshire Police website.
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