Thousands of teenagers heading for Leeds Festival have been warned by a coroner to “heed the lessons drawn” from the “painful tragedy” of the death of a 16-year-old who took ecstasy at last year’s event.
Senior coroner for Leeds Kevin McLoughlin issued a direct appeal to festival-goers ahead of the 2023 event next week as he concluded the inquest into the death of David Celino, from Worsley, Greater Manchester.
This warning was reinforced by David’s parents, who said they wanted to appeal urgently to the families of youngsters attending the festival to prepare their children for the dangers.
Mr McLoughlin told Wakefield Coroner’s Court on Thursday that he believed the teenager took one-and-a-half tablets he and his friends bought from a dealer at the site who has never been identified.
He told the court: “David took about one-and-a-half tablet but this was enough to kill him.
“As a tribute to David I would hope that all young people attending the festival become aware of that fact and heed the lessons drawn from this painful tragedy.”
As a tribute to David I would hope that all young people attending the festival become aware of that fact and heed the lessons drawn from this painful tragedy— Kevin McLoughlin, coroner
Mr McLoughlin repeated the words of David’s father Gianpiero, who told the inquest he believes “the ticket that signals the death of another young person has already been sold”.
The coroner said: “I hope that every young person attending the festival does not take the risk that they are the person holding that dreadful ticket.”
Following the death of 17-year-old Anya Buckley from a drugs-related death at the festival in 2019, the same coroner issued a report which urged organisers to think about whether unaccompanied 16 and 17-year-olds should be allowed into the event, which attracts 90,000 people every August.
But he heard how Festival Republic, which runs the event, and Leeds City Council, which licenses it, had decided against this move for a number of reasons after extensive consideration.
Speaking outside the court following the coroner’s narrative conclusion, Mr Celino said: “We don’t want to be here and we don’t want any other family to be standing where we are in the future.
“We want to use this opportunity, therefore, to get an urgent message to parents whose children will be attending Leeds and Reading Festivals next weekend – particularly those who are sending children under 18.
“Please take the time now to prepare your children and their friendship group for what they will experience at what might be their first festival.
“What to do if something goes wrong and how to get help.
“We missed our opportunity to do that and we do not want David’s story to be repeated.
“Whatever assurances have been given by the organisers, whatever measures have been put in place to keep the festival-goers safe, you cannot be sure that if your child becomes seriously unwell that someone will come forward to offer help.
“So preparing your child and their friends is critical.”
Flanked by his wife Nicola, Mr Celino said the family are pleased Festival Republic and its managing director Melvin Benn are “taking our concerns seriously” and implementing new measures in 2023 to support and safeguard vulnerable youngsters.
He said: “However, those efforts can only be considered effective if everyone, particularly the children attending, come home safely in 2023.”
Mr Celino said he and his wife were “naive” to rely on the reassurances published by Festival Republic about the control of drugs on the site, saying it will be “almost certain your child will be offered, tempted to try, or have decided they wish to take drugs when at the festival”.
The inquest heard no festival staff intervened before David’s friends got him to the medical centre as they became more and more concerned about him.
Mr Celino said: “Not one of the over 1,000 stewards and volunteers there to ensure the festival is a safe environment came forward to help him.
“David’s story is one of multiple missed opportunities to ensure that he enjoyed and returned safely from Leeds Festival.”
Mr Celino said he was “bitterly disappointed” West Yorkshire Police took eight hours before they started to look for the dealer who sold the ecstasy, despite the boys giving officers information.
He said the man “remains at large and presumably undeterred from doing the same again”.
The coroner said this was a “missed opportunity” to take a dealer off the streets.
Mr Celino said his son was “a kind and intelligent young man, a good friend, a brilliant son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin”.
He added: “We will miss his cheerful and compassionate ways.”
The three-day inquest heard an estimated 20% of those attending Leeds Festival, or around 19,000 people, are 16 and 17.
Mr McLoughlin said he will be preparing a Prevention of Future Deaths report, which is likely to raise questions about data collection around young people at the festival and the steps being taken to limit the supply of drugs on the site.
But Mr McLoughlin said: “The organisations involved have clearly taken this seriously.”
On Wednesday, Mr Benn became emotional as he explained the impact of David’s death and he outlined a series of new welfare and security measures for the 2023 event.
Festival Republic’s barrister Paul Greaney KC told the coroner on Thursday: “You can be confident in Festival Republic’s determination and its capacity to implement the necessary changes.”
