An 18-year-old boy collapsed and drowned on a rain-soaked patch of ground after taking an ultra-strong ecstasy pill, a court has heard.
Ben Moughton and his friends were said to have taken pills bought on the dark web with double the average concentration of MDMA on May 30 last year.
His friends became concerned for his welfare and tried to have him taken somewhere safe but he wandered off and was found face down in Linear Park, Lowestoft, Suffolk.
The tragic circumstances of his death emerged at the trial of Cory Phipps, then 18, who sold nine pills to the group for £40 earlier that day.
He was given 32 months’ youth detention after admitting to supplying the pills and possessing 13 more with intent to supply.
He admitted a second charge of supplying MDMA between December 2019 and May 2020 which resulted from forensic examination of his phone.
Phipps told the group he had bought the ‘really good’ batch from the dark web, which uses complex layers of computer networks to make it almost impossible to identify users digitally.
Prosecutor Hugh Vass said: ‘Ben began to behave strangely and his friends were sufficiently concerned that they called another friend so he could be taken somewhere safer.
‘He kept walking off and finally it appears he ended up lying in a puddle or wet grass by some bushes.
‘Eventually a 999 call was made and paramedics arrived but, sadly, by the time he arrived in hospital, and after having a cardiac arrest in the ambulance, he was declared dead on arrival.’
The cause of death was listed as a drug-related drowning.
Tests ordered for the court determined the pills’ unusually high strength, which may have contributed to Ben’s vulnerability.
Judge Martyn Levett told Phipps: ‘Drugs can never be 100 per cent safe and by purchasing drugs off the dark web, there is no indication of the source or the circumstances in which they have been prepared.’
Stephen Dyble, defending, told the court Phipps had shown ‘genuine remorse’ and ‘deep regret’, had stopped taking drugs and was focusing on his education.
Ben’s mother, Amanda Kennedy, said she felt no malice towards Phipps and blamed her son’s death on ‘one crazy decision’ which ‘destroyed the lives of so many’.
She added in a statement: ‘No one should be scared to try and get help for someone, especially in fear where they may get into trouble.
‘It was noted several times by Ben’s friends that it appeared he was in trouble.
‘I don’t live far away and it would’ve been good if someone had alerted me and I could’ve been there to try and help. I’m not saying it would’ve changed the outcome, but it might’ve given him a chance.
Ms Kennedy called for ‘basic life support’ training at schools, including first aid, and wanted to raise awareness about high-strength street drugs.
She continued: ‘We will never get to see Ben get married or have children. All of our hopes and dreams for him have gone.
‘I was so proud of him. He was an amazing and talented young man who had so much to live for and it has all been taken away from him due to one crazy decision.’
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