A CORONER is warning teenagers and parents ahead of Reading Festival after a young festival goer died of a drugs overdose last year.

Thousands of teenagers heading for Reading and Leeds Festival have been warned by a coroner to “heed the lessons drawn” from the “painful tragedy” of the death of a 16-year-old who took ecstasy at last year’s festival in Leeds.

Senior coroner for Leeds Kevin McLoughlin issued a direct appeal to festival-goers ahead of the 2023 events next week as he concluded the inquest into the death of David Celino, from Worsley, Greater Manchester.

This warning was reinforced by David’s parents, who said they wanted to appeal urgently to the families of youngsters attending the festivals to prepare their children for the dangers.

Mr McLoughlin told Wakefield Coroner’s Court on Thursday that he believed the teenager took one-and-a-half tablets he and his friends bought from a dealer at the site who has never been identified.

He told the court: “David took about one-and-a-half tablet but this was enough to kill him.

“As a tribute to David I would hope that all young people attending the festival become aware of that fact and heed the lessons drawn from this painful tragedy.”

Mr McLoughlin repeated the words of David’s father Gianpiero, who told the inquest he believes “the ticket that signals the death of another young person has already been sold”.

Speaking outside the court following the coroner’s narrative conclusion, Mr Celino said: “We don’t want to be here and we don’t want any other family to be standing where we are in the future.

“We want to use this opportunity, therefore, to get an urgent message to parents whose children will be attending Leeds and Reading Festivals next weekend – particularly those who are sending children under 18.

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“Please take the time now to prepare your children and their friendship group for what they will experience at what might be their first festival.

“What to do if something goes wrong and how to get help.

“We missed our opportunity to do that and we do not want David’s story to be repeated.

Flanked by his wife Nicola, Mr Celino said the family are pleased Festival Republic, which runs the events, and its managing director Melvin Benn are “taking our concerns seriously” and implementing new measures in 2023 to support and safeguard vulnerable youngsters.

Mr Celino said he and his wife were “naive” to rely on the reassurances published by Festival Republic about the control of drugs on the site, saying it will be “almost certain your child will be offered, tempted to try, or have decided they wish to take drugs when at the festival”.

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The inquest heard no festival staff intervened before David’s friends got him to the medical centre as they became more and more concerned about him.

Mr Celino said: “Not one of the over 1,000 stewards and volunteers there to ensure the festival is a safe environment came forward to help him.

“David’s story is one of multiple missed opportunities to ensure that he enjoyed and returned safely from Leeds Festival.”