Caitlin McLaughlin (16) died after taking drugs at music festival as mother says losing daughter ‘like a life sentence’

The mother of a Derry teenager who died after attending Belsonic music festival last summer has begged other young people not to take drugs, saying losing her daughter has been “like a life sentence”.

Caitlin McLaughlin was just 16 when she died in the early hours of June 25, 2023, with a coroner at her inquest yesterday finding that her cause of death was due to a combination of illegal narcotics.

The young girl was from the Skeoge area of the city and had attended the music concert in Belfast prior to her death.

Caitlin was described as being very like a typical teenager — she loved clothes and music, took on a lot of her friends’ problems and had just completed her GCSEs at St Cecilia’s College in Derry, the court was told.

Her mother, Leeann, said she was “in her own wee way, a quiet enough girl”.

The grieving mum, who was noticeably very upset while giving her statement during the inquest, also noted that Caitlin told her that she wouldn’t have taken alcohol often, as she was afraid of her drink being spiked.

Leeann said that losing her daughter has been like “a life sentence”, adding: “I never, ever thought she would have gotten involved with drugs.

“There’s going to be many a child going out to concerts, telling their mammy they won’t be doing anything, but you just don’t know. Just do not do it. It’s what you leave behind.

“It needs to be put out there. It’s too far ahead, the drugs in these towns. They [drug dealers] just care about money, they don’t care about anyone’s children — or even their own.”

A forensic toxicologist told the inquest that three drugs were found in Caitlin’s system when she died: ecstasy (MDMA), a synthetic amphetamine called clephedrone, and cocaine.

Robert Taggart, a paramedic who was contracted to provide medical assistance at the Belsonic events, said that Caitlin had been found unresponsive near the coaches on the Ormeau Embankment.

“Friends told us she had been taking drugs at the event and that she had taken a further two red pills prior to leaving the event for the bus,” he said.

The paramedic added that another male at the scene then made a phone call to someone to ask what the pills were.

The person told him “she should not have taken two” but did not confirm the substance.

Caitlin, who was administered naloxone, which rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, was hooked up to an IV in the ambulance and was also given oxygen therapy, as her breathing was rapid and unsteady.

She suffered a cardiac arrest on arrival at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where she died.

An autopsy report conducted by a pathologist on June 26 stated that Caitlin’s primary cause of death was the effects of the three drugs combined.

External and internal examinations showed no other natural causes of death and there was no alcohol present in her system.

A police officer, who is part of the criminal investigation into Caitlin’s death, said that a person has been charged in relation to the source and supply of the drugs Caitlin took that night, and the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is now in receipt of the file.

He said there was a suggestion from Caitlin’s friends, which has not been confirmed with any proven evidence, “that she might have taken seven or eight tablets during the concert and another two prior to leaving”.

However, during the inquest, both the detective and a forensic toxicologist said that the level of MDMA in one or two tablets taken by Caitlin could equate to the level of seven or eight tablets in other concentrations.

The coroner found that Caitlin’s consumption of ecstasy alone, or in combination with the cocaine and clephedrone, caused a fatal toxicity and caused her to collapse, become unconscious and suffer a cardiac arrest.

“Caitlin was only 16 and had her whole life ahead of her,” the coroner said.

“On what should have been a fun-filled night at a music festival with her friends at the end of her GCSE year, she instead lost her life, which has left her family utterly devastated.

“It is clear that the use of recreational drugs at any amount can have profoundly dangerous effects and can be fatal. And there is no way of knowing if what you believe you’re taking is actually what you are taking, or the effect that the drug will have on you.

“I would urge all young people to reconsider if they feel any peer pressure whatsoever and to understand the risks and devastation that can be left behind by consuming drugs.”

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