Leeds Festival is a 'magnet' for predatory drug dealers, inquest is told

David Celino, who was only 16, collapsed and died after taking ecstasy at the three-day music festival at Bramham Park near Wetherby.

At Wakefield Coroner's Court today, senior coroner Kevin McLoughlin said it was recognised by the authorities that "organised crime groups travelled to the Leeds Festival with a specific intent of committing crime including theft and drug offences".

Mr McLoughlin said: "It's a magnet for people who want to deal drugs."

Giving evidence, Detective Inspector Michael Herbert from West Yorkshire Police had been overseeing the festival the night that David Celino collapsed. He confirmed there had been 29 arrests for drug-related offences during last year's festival, but did not know how many were eventually prosecuted.

The previous year there had been just nine arrests. Mr McLoughlin said: “It’s not much given the foreseeable of 70,000 people attending. We have a combination of young people who are naive, and drug drug dealers with predatory behaviour. It does not seem many.”

DI Herbert was questioned whether more stringent warnings to drugs dealers and drug users about being prosecuted should be enforced, but he replied: “There are so many individuals in possession of drugs (at the festival), we can’t possibly arrest our way out of this issue.”

David, who was from the Manchester area, had been at the music festival over the August bank holiday last year with five other friends. They were there to celebrate their GCSE results which they had picked up days before.

The inquest heard that David had taken ecstasy on the Friday night, and had taken another pill on Saturday evening. He then began to feel unwell and was taken to the medical tent by his friends.

By that stage he was unable to walk unassisted. He was rushed to St James’ Hospital but died the next morning. His devastated parents, who had been staying in a hotel not far from the festival site, were by his side.

The inquest into his death, which is expected to last at least two days, continues.