The Death of Leah Betts
Leah Sarah Betts was a student from Essex, UK. On 12th November 1995, Leah was celebrating her 18th birthday at her home with friends. At some point during the night, she took an ecstasy tablet with an apple symbol on it. The tablet was believed to have been bought at the local Raquels nightclub. Popular advice circulating at the time had told ecstasy users to drink plenty of water as excessive dancing, made doable by the drug, could lead to dehydration. Although Leah was not dancing or exercising, she proceeded to drink around 7 litres of water during just 90 minutes, well over the recommended amount. It is also thought that after ingesting the water, the drug may have made her unable to, or suppressed her desire to, urinate. Four hours later, Leah collapsed into a coma and was rushed to hospital and later died from water intoxication and hyponatremia, both of which led to her brain swelling. A toxicologist later stated; "if Leah had taken the drug alone, she might well have survived. If she had drunk the amount of water alone, she would have survived." The dealer who sold the tablet was never found. The death of Leah Betts was widely reported, particularly as she did not fit the stereotype at the time of a drug user.