Leeds Festival: Selfie video of teenager who died shown to be 'not a well boy' minutes before he collapsed
and live on Freeview channel 276
David Celino, who was just 16, died after taking the pill at the Bramham Park event in August of last year. An inquest into his death resumed at Wakefield Coroner’s Court this morning.
David’s devastated father Gianpiero Celino gave evidence and said that the video of David that he later saw was taken approximately 90 minutes before he collapsed and he described him as being “not a well boy”.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe inquest heard that David, who is from the Manchester area, had gone to the festival with pals to celebrate getting their GCSE results just days before.
Despite telling his parents he wanted to come home on the morning of Saturday, August 27, the day after the festival started, David later messaged his parents to tell them that he then wanted to stay.
It was thought that he took the pill at that evening, and the selfie video then showed that David was “suffering the effects of MDMA” (the main ingredient in ecstasy), his father claimed.
He later collapsed close to the medical tent and was later rushed to St James’ Hospital after being resuscitated. Mr Celino said he and his wife, who had been staying at a hotel just a few miles from the site, then received the phone call.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe said: “We understood it was serious immediately to hear he was not breathing or needed help breathing.”
David was placed into an induced coma but died the next morning at around 7.30am.
Mr Celino told the inquest: “We knew he was going to die about three or four hours before that. It changed from doing things to help him to making him as comfortable as possible.”
Organised by Festival Republic, Leeds Festival draws tens of thousands of music fans to Bramham Park, near Wetherby, every summer. It is by far the biggest event licensed by Leeds City Council.
The inquest continues and is expected to last at least two days.