Mother of boy, 17, who died from overdose urges teenagers to avoid drugs


‘His death is such a waste’: Mother of boy, 17, who collapsed and died in a car park from an ecstasy and cocaine overdose, warns teenagers to stay away from drugs

  • Vicki Jacob’s son Joel died after taking cocaine and ecstasy during a night out
  • An inquest heard he took the drugs before getting a train to Newton Abbot
  • He collapsed in a car park in the town at 1.35am on December 5, 2020
  • Vicki said her son’s death was ‘a waste’ as she urged teenagers to avoid drugs 

A heartbroken mother has warned teenagers to stay away from drugs after her 17-year-old son collapsed and died in a carpark from an overdose.

Vicki Jacob’s son Joel was a student at Exeter College when he died after taking cocaine and ecstasy during a night out with friends. 

An inquest into his death heard he took the drugs before getting on a train from Exeter to Newton Abbot with three friends at 11pm on December 4, 2020.

He later collapsed in a car park near Queen Street in Newton Abbot at around 1.35am and could not be revived after he was taken to Torbay Hospital.

Vicki said her son’s death was ‘such a waste’ as she urged others to stay away from recreational drug use.

 

Joel Jacob died last December

Joel (pictured) collapsed in a car park

Vicki Jacob’s son Joel (pictured) was a student at Exeter College when he died after taking cocaine and ecstasy during a night out with friends

She added: ‘We miss Joel so much. He was a lovely, intelligent human being who was loved by so many people. His death is such a waste. So many children try drugs, but I don’t think they realise the risks.

‘Joel was a normal, bubbly lad who just made a bad decision one night.’

The inquest heard how Joel had been planning to stay with a friend in Bovey Tracey following his night out, but on the way to the bus station in the early hours of the morning he began to feel unwell.

His friends told police he could walk independently and was fine one minute, but then became confused the next. They said they had never seen someone behave like that before.

When the teenager began to lose consciousness his friends called 999 and an ambulance was dispatched to the scene within minutes.

When police arrived, the officer in the case, DC Louise Dutton, described the scene as ‘extremely chaotic’ because by then a lot of young people were at the car park, the majority of who did not know Joel and his friends, and were distressed by what they had witnessed.

Referring to the impact, particularly on Joel’s friends, DC Dutton said: ‘Anyone falling ill and becoming unconscious would be very stressful to anyone, especially intoxicated young people who may never seen or experienced anything like that before.’

She added the three friends were taken to hospital, but did not suffer the same effects as Joel and were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs and then released on bail.

When the teenager began to lose consciousness his friends called 999 and an ambulance was dispatched to the scene within minutes. He could not be revived

When the teenager began to lose consciousness his friends called 999 and an ambulance was dispatched to the scene within minutes. He could not be revived

They later told police how Joel had bought and paid for the drugs himself earlier while in Exeter.

She said: ‘Joel was not someone who was a drug addict, dealer or abuser. He was simply a young person who went out and took recreational drugs at levels his body simply could not process.’

DC Dutton added how Joel’s family had described him as the ‘life and soul of everything he became involved in, and was a fun young man with a huge circle of friends, and had a full social life’.

He was studying business and graphic design at college and was said to be doing ‘extremely well’.

A post mortem examination confirmed the cause of Joel’s death was ecstasy toxicity. The report stated the level of MDMA he had taken was within the toxic range. Traces of cocaine were also detected, but there was no evidence to suggest it had contributed to his death.

Joel’s GP confirmed he had been fit and well.

Recording a conclusion of drug-related death, coroner Ian Arrow said: ‘It appears to me, on the balance of probability, that had Joel not taken the substance he would not have died.’ 

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