Showjumper girl, 15, is killed by ‘dirty’ ecstasy she took at GCSE party
A TALENTED teenage showjumper died after apparently taking a highly potent ecstasy pill at an end of exams party.
Hannah Bragg, 15, was with friends on a farm near an old viaduct when she swallowed what has been called a ‘dirty’ pill – one that contains a potentially lethal dose of the party drug – and collapsed.
She died in hospital a few hours later, while a 14-year-old boy who took a pill from the same batch remains in a critical condition.
A resident living close to where the tragedy happened on Saturday said: ‘There was a group of kids celebrating the end of their GCSE exams. The poor girl had barely tasted the pill by the time it had a nasty effect. The teenagers had taken dirty pills – it’s very sad.’
Police said the children had ‘suffered adverse reactions having taken an as yet unknown substance or substances’. Toxicology tests are being carried out to establish what was in the pills. No arrests have been made.
Miss Bragg’s parents Karen and David, and her three brothers, live on a farm near Tavistock, Devon, and run a business contracting farming equipment. They were too upset to speak last night.
The 15-year-old was a talented member of the East Cornwall Hunt Pony Club, and for three years had been playing for Tavistock Girls Rugby Team.
A rugby club spokesman said: ‘ Hannah was an incredible member of our team.
‘She was the most lovely and unassuming girl and will be sorely missed.’
Julia Bassett, from the East Cornwall Hunt Pony Club, said: ‘Hannah had been a member for a number of years and was always polite and kind, and did well in representing the club in a number of disciplines. She was a regular attendee and supporter of rallies with her lovely pony Micky.’
Another member of the club, Penny Redwood-Smith, added: ‘Absolutely tragic news. Thinking of Karen and family at this sad time. Hopefully in time they can draw some comfort from the wonderful memories we all have of their beautiful daughter.’
In recent months, police forces across the country have been warning about batches of ecstasy that contain potentially lethal doses of the class-A drug MDMA or a cocktail of other dangerous drugs.
They can take just a few seconds to have an effect, and survivors can be left with permanent brain damage.
Last month, Georgia Jones, 18, collapsed and died at the Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth after taking two pills, while another 15 revellers were taken to hospital. The organisers warned of a ‘high strength or bad batch’ of drugs and cancelled the festival on its second day as a ‘safety precaution’.
On Monday, dozens of children in school uniform gathered for a vigil near the site of Miss Bragg’s death. Sarah Jones, head teacher of Tavistock College where Hannah was a pupil, said in a letter to parents: ‘The young lady was a bright, caring and thoughtful girl. We are devastated at this loss and send sincere condolences to her family.’
Sergeant Pennie Channing of Tavistock Police said: ‘Any loss of a young person is a tragedy, but when it is preventable it is even more tragic.’
Ecstasy has been blamed for more than 200 deaths in Britain since 1996.
‘Bright, caring and thoughtful’