Mutiny inquest: Teenager was an '˜unwitting victim' of '˜greedy' drug dealers, coroner rulesÂ

A TEENAGER lost her life in an accident after taking two '˜nasty' double-strength ecstasy tablets at a music festival, a coroner has concluded.
Georgia Jones died after taking two double-strength ecstasy pills at Mutiny FestivalGeorgia Jones died after taking two double-strength ecstasy pills at Mutiny Festival
Georgia Jones died after taking two double-strength ecstasy pills at Mutiny Festival

Georgia Jones died after taking the pills while at Mutiny Festival in Cosham on May 26.

The 18-year-old of Havant suffered multi-organ failure and fitted for 50 minutes after swallowing the drugs, which were smuggled into the music event.

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Coroner David Horsley said Georgia had not intended to take her own life and was the '˜unwitting victim of unscrupulous and greedy' drug dealers.

Georgia Jones died after taking two double-strength ecstasy pills at Mutiny FestivalGeorgia Jones died after taking two double-strength ecstasy pills at Mutiny Festival
Georgia Jones died after taking two double-strength ecstasy pills at Mutiny Festival

Reaching a conclusion of accidental death, the Mr Horsley told Portsmouth Coroner's Court: '˜MDMA is a nasty drug and the kind of people who deal in drugs are unscrupulous and greedy people.

'˜But I don't think such a sermon is going to stop people taking drugs in the future and it's certainly not going to help Georgia or you and your family come to terms with her death.

'˜Georgia was not a drug addict. By all accounts she was a happy-go-lucky, young 18-year-old.

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'˜Yes she dabbled in drugs, as I think a lot of people her age have done, on a social basis to heighten the enjoyment of things like festivals.

From left, Georgia Jones's mum and sisters Janine Milburn, Charlotte Jones and Dannielle Jones
Picture: Sarah Standing (180828-8548)From left, Georgia Jones's mum and sisters Janine Milburn, Charlotte Jones and Dannielle Jones
Picture: Sarah Standing (180828-8548)
From left, Georgia Jones's mum and sisters Janine Milburn, Charlotte Jones and Dannielle Jones Picture: Sarah Standing (180828-8548)

'˜She wasn't a regular drug user; she hadn't taken anything like this for months and months.

'˜She was an unwitting victim of unscrupulous people.'

Mr Horsley said the tablets Georgia had taken were '˜very strong indeed' and that she wouldn't have known how deadly they were.

Georgia, he said, had not '˜meant to harm herself' and had perhaps taken the drugs '˜foolishly' to '˜have a better time' at Mutiny.

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'˜At the end of the day she is 18 and only doing, sadly, what lots of others do,' Mr Horsley said. '˜She has been the victim in all of this. It's been unintentional.

'˜She has died due to an accident.'

Mr Horsley praised Georgia's mum Janine Milburn for her efforts in improving drug education for young people and her attempts to encourage more festivals to set up drug-testing facilities which she said could '˜save lives'.

Speaking to Ms Milburn, the coroner said: '˜The only thing I can hope is that the effort you're making to try and improve security and help people discern between the things that are safe to take and the awful, nasty substances out there, goes well and I wish you every success.'

Mr Horsley added drug abuse at festivals was an '˜unsolvable problem'.

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'˜People selling and taking drugs at festivals has existed since festivals began,' he said. '˜I doubt whether whatever measures are taken will eradicate that.'

Dad-of-one Tommy Cowan, 20, also died at Mutiny Festival after taking drugs.

The inquest into his death is due to begin tomorrow and is expected to conclude on Friday.