Inquest told teen died from overdose at festival
FRIENDS RECALL FINAL HOURS OF JOSH, 19, AFTER HE TOOK ECSTASY AND KETAMINE
A TEENAGER died after taking a ‘cocktail of drugs’ at his first music festival, an inquest heard.
Joshua Gibson, 19, described by his mother as a ‘quiet boy’, died in hospital after becoming unwell at Creamfields festival last year.
The customer services worker had gone to the event in Daresbury, near Warrington, with friends in August 2019.
He took three ecstasy tablets and ketamine at the festival on August 23, the inquest heard. After becoming separated from his group, the former William Beamont Community High School pupil was taken by security staff to the medical tent.
An ambulance was called and he was rushed to Warrington hospital, where he died the following day after suffering multiple organ failure and three cardiac arrests.
Giving written evidence to an inquest held at Atlantic Chambers in Warrington, Joshua’s mother Fiona
Brown said that on the morning of the festival, her son was excited, having not been to one before.
She said he did not smoke and was not a drug user, and that she had reminded him not to drink too much and that she wanted him to enjoy himself.
Joshua’s friend Alex Crowton’s statement to the inquest said the ecstasy tablets had been bought by Josh and one of the others on the Friday morning.
At around 5pm, Josh began to feel unwell, with Mr Crowton describing him ‘stumbling’. They sat for a while and Josh appeared to recover, and took another tablet at around 8.30pm. Joshua and his friend Sean Millington then went to get some water.
Mr Crowton described getting a message from Joshua at around 10.30pm, saying he was feeling ‘shagged’.
After trying to reach him by phone again, the friends decided to head to a local pub at around 11.30pm, hoping Josh would be there.
At around 1.30am the following morning a phone call came from Joshua’s mobile.
It was someone from the Creamfields medical team saying Joshua had been brought to the medical tent and had been taken to hospital.
Mr Millington’s statement said he’d become separated from Joshua as they went to get water. When he got back to the other friends, he asked where Joshua was and they said they thought he was with him.
A further statement from Joshua’s friend Connor Inman described Joshua as being ‘very chatty’ at the festival.
James Anthony Howell, who was
working for security firm Showsec, described being close to the stage late in the evening when he was approached by a festival-goer who said they believed someone was overdosing.
Mr Howell said he found an unknown male ‘in a bad state, sitting on the floor’. Joshua was transferred to an ambulance from the medical tent and taken to hospital.
Dr Lisa Lang, an A&E consultant, said Joshua arrived at around 12.45am on August 24. The intensive treatment team was called, Joshua was given fluids and a CT scan showed no bleeding.
He rapidly developed multiple organ failure and continued to deteriorate, Dr Lang said. He suffered cardiac arrest at 10.42am on August 24, and a second at 10.48am. Medics were able to resuscitate him, but a further cardiac arrest occurred at 4.04am the following morning.
Joshua’s death was confirmed at 4.15am on August 25.
Coroner Mr Sigee said the cause of Joshua’s death was intoxication by MDMA and ketamine, which he had taken voluntarily.