Leah Betts - Death and Inquest

Death and Inquest

Betts died on the morning of 16 November 1995, within five days of being admitted to hospital, after her life support machine was switched off.

Her funeral took place on 1 December 1995 at Christ Church, Latchingdon. She was buried alongside her mother at St Mary Magdalen church in Great Burstead, Essex.

A subsequent inquest determined that her death was actually not directly due to MDMA consumption, but rather the result of the large quantity of water she had consumed, apparently in observation of an advisory warning commonly given to ravers to drink water to avoid dehydration resulting from the exertion of dancing continuously for hours. Leah had been at home with friends and had not been dancing, yet consumed about 7 litres (12 pints) of water in less than 90 minutes, resulting in water intoxication and hyponatremia, which in turn led to serious swelling of the brain, irreparably damaging it. However, SIADH caused by the MDMA, reducing her ability to urinate, may have exacerbated her hyponatremia. At the inquest it was stated by toxicologist Professor John Henry, who had previously warned the public of the danger of MDMA causing death by dehydration, "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."