THE GRANDFATHER of a talented schoolgirl said she “could have been the next Adele” and called for people to realise the dangers of using class A drugs.
Lauren Hawkins, who lived in Bearwood, died in hospital aged 16, three days after she suffered a cardiac arrest on July 6, 2020, at Redcotts Park in Wimborne.
Senior coroner for Dorset, Rachael Griffin, recorded a conclusion that her death was drug related at an inquest held at Bournemouth Town Hall on Thursday, January 6.
Lauren’s grandfather, Paul Pearson, told the inquest she was a talented singer and dancer and a member of the prestigious West End Kids musical theatre troupe and said she had “the world at her feet”.
On July 6, 2020, Lauren and her boyfriend Cameron Doughty arranged to meet with some friends in Wimborne.
Mr Doughty text a friend arranging to meet and take the drug 2C-B, a psychedelic drug.
The hearing heard, after taking 2C-B at around 5pm, they went to Walford Mill where they then took MDMA “some time after 8.32pm” because they “couldn’t feel the effects” of the initial drug.
The group then walked to Redcotts when Lauren collapsed.
Mr Doughty phoned friends of his girlfriend before calling the ambulance service at 10.36pm.
She was taken to Poole Hospital where she was suffering from serotonin syndrome and was unconscious.
She died three days later after a decision was made to stop her life support. Her medical cause of death was serotonin syndrome due to MDMA toxicity.
Giving evidence, Mr Doughty said “I was worried I was going to get into a lot of trouble” when asked at the hearing why he didn’t immediately call paramedics when he saw Lauren was unwell.
He added: “I tried to pick her up, I didn’t really believe [what was happening]. I was holding her knowing that she was not really alive anymore.”
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Detective inspector Mark Fursman told the hearing the group initially told officers Lauren went off on her own to meet a drug dealer.
It eventually came to light they had all been under the influence of MDMA, with one, who can’t be named for legal reasons, charged for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
Recording a conclusion, Ms Griffin said, on the balance of probabilities, Lauren took MDMA on her own volition and it wasn’t clear if earlier treatment could have prevented her death.
Mr Pearson told the hearing: “Our hearts are broken by this tragedy. Our lives will never be the same.
“We have been devastated and traumatised and are still trying to come to terms with what happened.
“Lauren was a very talented young lady, a brilliant dancer and singer.
We now miss all her tomorrows and there’s a hole in our lives.
“Those who were involved will have her death on their conscience for the rest of their lives, we will just miss Lauren for the rest our lives.
“Our life sentence began on July 9, 2020.
“We want kids to stop and realise the dangers of substances like MDMA, realise what it is doing to the parents and grandparents when a tragedy like this occurs.
“Using MDMA is like playing Russian roulette.”
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