Northallerton teenager Leah Heyes died from cardiac arrest after taking double dose of MDMA that cost just £10

Leah Heyes collapsed in the Applegarth car park after taking crystallised MDMA - also known as ecstasy - with a group of friends in May 2019, an inquest heard today.

She had arranged to buy the drugs several days earlier via text message, and two local men have since been convicted of supplying the Class A substance.

An inquest into Leah's death held at County Hall today heard that the teenager suffered a 'rapid cardiac arrest' soon after ingesting the MDMA, and was unresponsive on arrival at James Cook University Hospital.

A postmortem found 'acute changes to the heart muscle cells' and evidence of previous cocaine use, while a toxicology report detected the fatal dose of MDMA.

Leah was born Leah Elwin in Richmond in 2003, but preferred to be known as Leah Hayes. She and her mother, Kerry Roberts, had moved around the country after Mrs Roberts began a relationship with a serving soldier, but returned to Northallerton in 2012. At the time of Leah's death, Mrs Roberts was expecting a child with her partner and Leah was looking forward to becoming a sister.

Mrs Roberts described her daughter as a 'typical teenager who was always using Snapchat'. She said Leah loved animals, had been a keen ballerina and attended a youth club in Northallerton.

She told the inquest: "We had a close relationship. She did drink alcohol about once a week and once I spoke to her after she came home stoned. I didn't want her going down that path. I limited her pocket money and she never appeared to be under the influence again after that occasion."

Mrs Roberts last spoke to Leah on the morning of Saturday May 11, the day of her death, before the teenager went out for the day with friends. She did not hear from her again, but at around 9pm received a call from Leah's friends asking her to come to Applegarth car park as her daughter was unwell.

Both Mrs Roberts and the first police officer to arrive at the scene, PC Jack Dodsworth, initially believed that Leah was drunk. PC Dodsworth said she was 'staggering and leaning against a car' when he first approached her, slurring her words and fell over several times. He requested an ambulance at 9.25pm, shortly before Leah lapsed into unconsciousness and appeared to have a seizure. By this point, she was unresponsive and her eyes were staring into the distance. PC Dodsworth described her breathing as 'shallow and rattling'.

Paramedics arrived at 9.30pm but could not detect a pulse. Leah was given adrenaline in an attempt to restart her heart, and arrived at James Cook University Hospital around an hour later.

She was intubated on arrival, but paediatrician Dr Rosemary Thwaites examined her and found 'no signs of life'. It was decided that further resuscitation attempts would be futile and she was pronounced dead shortly before 11pm.

Detective Sergeant Chris Parker-Beagrie told the inquest that an investigation was begun into Leah's death after her friends told police she had taken illegal drugs. Around 15-20 youths in her social circle were interviewed as well as further adult witnesses. CCTV footage was collected from the town centre.

DS Parker-Beagrie said: "It transpired that the group had discussed getting some drugs for the weekend a few days earlier. Leah had told her friends that she wanted some MDMA. Her mobile phone was examined and it turned out she had arranged to buy £10 worth of the drug. She took two doses of the crystallised form, but the quantity is unknown."

Two men - Mitchell Southern, 19, of Thirsk, and Connor Kirkwood, 18, of Dishforth - pleaded guilty to supplying the drugs consumed by Leah at Teesside Crown Court in July 2020. They are due to be sentenced on November 16.

Recording a verdict of a drugs related death, North Yorkshire coroner Jonathan Leach said: "It is clear that Leah was from a loving and supportive family who had no real concerns about her behaviour. Taking illegal drugs is a risky business, as shown by Leah's death."

Speaking about the experience of losing her daughter, Mrs Roberts, whose second child Ava is now a year old, said: "I am still as numb now as I was the day she was taken. I struggle daily with the fact that I won't get to watch her grow up. I hope other young people learn from what has happened to Leah. No parent should have to go through this."