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| Festival overdose victim took multiple pills before event 'to avoid police detection' | Festival overdose victim took multiple pills before event 'to avoid police detection' |
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| Alex Ross-King, 19, who died from a drug overdose at a music festival in New South Wales in January, took an unusually high amount of MDMA before arriving at the venue because she was afraid of being caught with the drugs by police. | Alex Ross-King, 19, who died from a drug overdose at a music festival in New South Wales in January, took an unusually high amount of MDMA before arriving at the venue because she was afraid of being caught with the drugs by police. |
| On Monday the NSW coroner’s court heard Ross-King, from the NSW central coast, had consumed about three-quarters of an MDMA pill and was “pre-loading” on alcohol on a mini bus to the Fomo music festival in Parramatta in January. | |
| When she arrived, counsel assisting the inquest Peggy Dwyer told the court on Monday, she consumed another two pills “apparently to avoid the risk of detection by police of carrying them into the festival”. | When she arrived, counsel assisting the inquest Peggy Dwyer told the court on Monday, she consumed another two pills “apparently to avoid the risk of detection by police of carrying them into the festival”. |
| NSW's resistance to pill testing will drive dealers to sell 'more dangerous drugs', ACT warns | NSW's resistance to pill testing will drive dealers to sell 'more dangerous drugs', ACT warns |
| “She told her friends that [it was] because she was nervous about being caught by the police that she took the drugs like that, apparently to avoid the risk of being caught,” Dwyer told the inquest. | “She told her friends that [it was] because she was nervous about being caught by the police that she took the drugs like that, apparently to avoid the risk of being caught,” Dwyer told the inquest. |
| Ross-King’s death is one of six being investigated by the NSW coroner this week as part of an inquest into what Dwyer called “a recent substantial increase in the drug-related harms associated with a small number of music festivals” and an “unexpectedly marked increase” in the number of drug-related deaths. | Ross-King’s death is one of six being investigated by the NSW coroner this week as part of an inquest into what Dwyer called “a recent substantial increase in the drug-related harms associated with a small number of music festivals” and an “unexpectedly marked increase” in the number of drug-related deaths. |
| The inquest is considering ways to prevent further deaths at music festivals, including harm-reduction measures such as what Dwyer called “drug-checking at festivals”, and issues around law enforcement at music festivals. | The inquest is considering ways to prevent further deaths at music festivals, including harm-reduction measures such as what Dwyer called “drug-checking at festivals”, and issues around law enforcement at music festivals. |
| Ross-King’s death in January followed Joseph Pham, 23, and Diana Nguyen, 21, who attended the Defqon.1 festival in Penrith on 15 September. Nineteen-year-old Callum Brosnan died at the Knockout Games of Destiny at Sydney Olympic Park on 9 December and Josh Tam, 22, at the Lost Paradise festival on the central coast on 29 December. | Ross-King’s death in January followed Joseph Pham, 23, and Diana Nguyen, 21, who attended the Defqon.1 festival in Penrith on 15 September. Nineteen-year-old Callum Brosnan died at the Knockout Games of Destiny at Sydney Olympic Park on 9 December and Josh Tam, 22, at the Lost Paradise festival on the central coast on 29 December. |
| Hoang Tran, known to his family as Nathan, is the sixth case to be examined in the inquest. He died after attending Knockout Circuz in December 2017. | Hoang Tran, known to his family as Nathan, is the sixth case to be examined in the inquest. He died after attending Knockout Circuz in December 2017. |
| On Monday morning Dwyer described the circumstances around all six deaths. She said they all had “common themes”. Each had consumed more than one MDMA tablet or cap, the primary cause of death in all cases. One, 19-year-old Brosnan, was believed to have taken between six and nine caps. | On Monday morning Dwyer described the circumstances around all six deaths. She said they all had “common themes”. Each had consumed more than one MDMA tablet or cap, the primary cause of death in all cases. One, 19-year-old Brosnan, was believed to have taken between six and nine caps. |
| In some cases, such as Ross-King and Tran, the victims were seen to act aggressively or erratically before their deaths, in a way that was out of character. Heat at the music festival venue was a factor in all of the deaths, and most had extremely high body temperatures before their deaths. | In some cases, such as Ross-King and Tran, the victims were seen to act aggressively or erratically before their deaths, in a way that was out of character. Heat at the music festival venue was a factor in all of the deaths, and most had extremely high body temperatures before their deaths. |
| Dwyer also told the inquest that in all of the cases their children’s drug use came as a shock to their parents after their death. Of Brosnan, Dwyer said: “Like all the young people subject to this inquest, because he functioned so well and was doing so well in life, was so clever and creative and getting on with his life as responsible young adult, Callum’s parents were not aware of any interest in drugs.” | Dwyer also told the inquest that in all of the cases their children’s drug use came as a shock to their parents after their death. Of Brosnan, Dwyer said: “Like all the young people subject to this inquest, because he functioned so well and was doing so well in life, was so clever and creative and getting on with his life as responsible young adult, Callum’s parents were not aware of any interest in drugs.” |
| The inquest comes against the backdrop of increasing calls in NSW for the introduction of pill testing at music festivals, despite the steadfast opposition of the state government and premier, Gladys Berejiklian. | The inquest comes against the backdrop of increasing calls in NSW for the introduction of pill testing at music festivals, despite the steadfast opposition of the state government and premier, Gladys Berejiklian. |
| Parents of drug-overdose victims at odds over benefits of pill testing | Parents of drug-overdose victims at odds over benefits of pill testing |
| The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the former Australian federal police commissioner Mick Palmer have all called for the testing to be allowed at festivals. | The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the former Australian federal police commissioner Mick Palmer have all called for the testing to be allowed at festivals. |
| Deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame will preside over the two weeks of hearings in the inquest. | Deputy state coroner Harriet Grahame will preside over the two weeks of hearings in the inquest. |
| “These are your children but they could just as easily be the children of my own community or my own family,” she said at the opening of the inquest on Monday. | “These are your children but they could just as easily be the children of my own community or my own family,” she said at the opening of the inquest on Monday. |
| “They could be any young people who go to music festivals and partake in drugs as many young people do. | “They could be any young people who go to music festivals and partake in drugs as many young people do. |
| “These are our young people ... and we owe them a proper investigation of the circumstances in which they died.” | “These are our young people ... and we owe them a proper investigation of the circumstances in which they died.” |
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| Health | Health |
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