Tragic teenager bought drugs before festival

t in the park: Inquest finds 17-year-old died after consuming ecstasy

A teenager who died after taking ecstasy at T in the Park may have had her drink spiked, an inquest has heard.

Megan Bell, 17, collapsed and died on the first night of the music festival in July last year.

An inquiry into the teenager’s death yesterday was told there was a “high concentration” of MDMA – or ecstasy – in her system.

But it could not been proved that she had taken the drug voluntarily, the hearing at County Durham heard.

The probe held in Crook, near Megan’s home town of Seaham, was told that a police investigation concluded she had bought drugs in the north-east of England before travelling to Strathallan Castle.

She may have consumed them in the Slam dance tent, where she fell ill.

Senior assistant coroner Crispin Oliver ruled that the former St Anthony’s Girls’ Catholic Academy pupil died from a “drug-related death”.

He added: “I find that Megan died from the adverse effects of MDMA.

“Megan Bell consumed MDMA while attending the T in the Park festival on July 7 and 8.

“It cannot be concluded that she took drugs voluntarily. She may have been spiked.”

Addressing Megan’s family, Mr Oliver added: “You have obviously lost a very, very precious young girl.

“She was only 17 and was living a normal social life and has essentially walked into her death.”

Police who investigated her death say they are aware she had taken drugs occasionally and on a recreational basis in the year leading up to the tragedy.

However, no one saw her take the drug at the festival.

Her father Chris Bell believes that his daughter’s drink may have been spiked.

He has called for festival age limits to be increased in the wake of his daughter’s death.

Speaking after last summer’s event, he said: “People die every year at festivals and it can’t carry on.

“Megan was just so happy and funny and nice. We can’t let this happen to anyone else’s child.”

Megan first attended T in the Park in 2015, and was a music fanatic. But this year she did not even see any bands before she became unwell, and died at the Strathallan Castle site’s temporary hospital facility.

T in the Park will not take place this summer. Bosses said they wanted to get on top of problems which had plagued the show since it moved to its new Strathallan Castle home in 2015.

Megan was one of three people who died after taking drugs at the 2016 event.

It could not be proved that Megan Bell took the drugs voluntarily as no one saw her, the hearing at County Durham heard.