'Best mum ever' died after her temperature soared at dance festival

A much-loved mum known for her love of parties and dance music events died while attending a music festival.

Stephanie Thorpe, 32, died in June last year and this week an inquest was told the circumstances which led to the tragedy.

On June 25 last year, Stephanie met friends at a pub before heading to the Restricted Forest dance music festival in Blackburn. En-route, she took half a White Dove ecstasy tablet, unaware of the tragedy that would unfold within hours as her temperature spiked to 42 degrees before paramedics could reach her at the festival.

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Her inquest was told Stephanie would have been oblivious to the deadly game she was taking part in. With super-strength ecstasy flooding the market, experts warn that many who choose to take recreational drugs no longer 'know what they are getting'.

The use of ecstasy, or MDMA, dwindled during Covid due to lockdown restrictions, but since these have lifted there has been a noticeable increase in the drug's potency, reports Lancs Live.

Ecstasy pills are now potentially four times stronger than they were before the pandemic, with tragic consequences for Stephanie and her family.

Research from 2002 highlighted the unpredictable potency of White Dove ecstasy pills, which Stephanie had taken, showing a staggering range from virtually inactive to almost entirely pure MDMA.

Dr Mark Clayton, who combines his expertise in emergency medicine with working at music festivals to prevent drug-related fatalities, emphasised the dangers at the inquest.

He said:: "There is no way, when you look at a tablet, of knowing how much ecstasy it contains or even what's in it".

He also noted that "Ketamine was present in a not insignificant quantity in Stephanie's blood." He explained that ketamine is sometimes mixed with ecstasy to mimic its stimulating effects due to its lower cost or greater availability.

The production of ecstasy, often occurring in rudimentary home labs with scant concern for consistency or safety, was described by Dr Clayton who said: "Ecstasy is made by amateur chemists, perhaps individuals who have a degree of biochemistry training, and who do this as a way of making more money."

He added: "These drugs are being made in people's kitchens. It's not like going in Boots and buying a box of pills made by Pfizer."

Music festival organisers are stepping up their game to tackle the tragic fatalities associated with illegal drug consumption. Kendal Calling, since 2014, has been running a drug testing initiative known as The Loop.

Fiona Measham, The Loop's director and also a criminology professor at Liverpool University, was cited during the inquest. Her research highlighted a worrying surge in the potency of ecstasy tablets post-pandemic.

At the inquest, Dr Clayton remarked: "Before the pandemic tablets contained between 95mg and 100mg. They're now up to 250/300mg which is a significant upswing. As a festival-goer you have no way of knowing that what you're taking is safe."

He added: "We find that people rely on past experiences. It's very common for me to meet people in a festival setting who say they have taken it before and were absolutely fine."

Dr Clayton discussed how Leah's case has impacted ecstasy users. "One of the things she died of was water intoxication so people often swing the other way and don't drink enough; it's a fine line to tread," he said during Stephanie's inquest.

Stephanie had taken ecstasy on one of the hottest days of the year. As she danced along to the music she was seen sweating heavily and was undoubtedly dehydrated.

Dr Clayton added: "When you're dehydrated it hyper=concentrates all substances in the blood and increases the relative concentration. If the environment is above 20C you are more likely to suffer harm from ecstasy and more likely to suffer serotonin syndrome or a high temperature.

"Once you cross the 20C threshold the risk of harm increases and there were multiple factors at play. Stephanie was dehydrated; she was seen dancing a lot and sweating and it was a very hot day so her ability to lose heat was impaired.

"She was only seen taking half a tablet in the beer garden but once you take the first dose it saturates the system so if you take more those pathways are already working at full capacity. Multi-dosing is related to an increased risk of harm."

The lessons learned from Stephanie's death will, sadly, not bring her back. Nor will they prevent a little boy growing up without his mum, remembered in tributes as the "best mum ever", but Lancashire's Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley is determined to do what he can to make festivals safer.

Dr Adeley is contemplating the issuance of a Prevention of Future Deaths report to all licensing bodies across Lancashire, with the aim of bolstering medical services and ensuring the availability of free drinking water at music events.

Addressing Stephanie's friends and festival-goers who might consider using ecstasy, Dr Adeley said: "If you are attending festivals just be careful please. On the other hand I don't want to be an entire killjoy but take it gently please."

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