A 17-YEAR-OLD Dublin youth collapsed with heat stroke after taking two ecstasy tablets during an under-18s rave disco last February, an inquest heard yesterday.
Andrew Cleary of Primrose Grove, Darndale, Dublin, was pronounced dead at St James's Hospital about 2.30 a.m. on February 22nd, just hours after collapsing at the disco. A postmortem showed that death was due to heat stroke brought on by exercise and the use of ecstasy.
Patrick Brady said he and Andrew had smoked £5 worth of cannabis before going to the rave on February 21st. He also took an ecstasy tablet but Andres said he would save his until he got to the disco. About 10 p.m. he bought a second tablet and took it in the toilet. He collapsed shortly before the disco ended at midnight.
Mr Terence Fitzpatrick said he organised the non-alcoholic disco and hired 10 people he knew and trusted to supervise it. The venue supplied three additional security people. About 600 people attended and all were searched before being allowed in. He said ecstasy was widely used at such events and they tried to prevent this.
Sgt Joseph Crowe said gardai were aware rave music and ecstasy went hand-in-hand in Ireland and all over the world.
Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, the Dublin City Coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, noted this was the first death directly attributable to ecstasy since an information campaign was launched following eight or nine similar deaths in the years up to 1997.
He said it was an unpredictable drug and previous usage offered no protection. As well as death, use could lead to long term brain damage.