Two teenagers jailed for supplying MDMA to a 16-year-old girl who died after taking drugs in a nightclub | British news

Undated award photo released by Devon and Cornwall Police of Lucy Hill, a 16-year-old from Exmouth, Devon, who died in December 2022 after taking MDMA and collapsing at the Move nightclub on Exeter Quay. Lucy Hill, 16, from Exmouth, Devon, died in December 2022 after taking MDMA and collapsing at Move nightclub on Exeter Quay, due to their role in supplying the drugs. Date of issue: Monday, November 4, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story RIGHTS Exeter. Photo credits should read: Devon and Cornwall Police/PA Wire. EDITOR'S NOTE: This hand-out photo may be used for editorial reporting purposes only for the simultaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the image may require further permission from the copyright holder. Lucy Hill’s family are ‘devastated by her death’ (Credits: Devon and Cornwall Police/PA Wire)

A mother and sister have bravely spoken in court about the devastating impact they have suffered after a teenager died while taking MDMA.

Lucy Hill, 16, was at an alcohol-free youth nightclub event at Move in Exeter when she was sold the drug by Taylor Rowsell, 18.

He received ecstasy from James Greaves, 19, who supplied them despite his concerns about their potency.

While the pair were in custody, Lucy’s sister Chloe confronted them and opened up about the impact her sibling’s death had had on her.

She said: ‘No day gets easier and the pain never goes away. I would do anything to have Lucy by my side again. Life is so hard without Lucy. I lost my best friend. My heart aches and the loss never leaves my thoughts. I miss doing everything with you.

“Every trial has been an obstacle in our journey to healing, an obstacle that takes us all back to the unforgivable night you both gave the medicine to Lucy.

“Our lives have changed in ways you will never feel because of the decisions you both made; I now have to live a life without my sister because of the path you both chose.

“Not only did your actions and decisions take Lucy from this world, but you also robbed me of my life. A life without Lucy by my side.’

Judge James Adkin at Exeter Crown Court said Rowsell and Greaves were motivated by greed and made £350 from selling the class A drug to children, including Lucy and her friends.

Debbie, Lucy’s mother, said: ‘Losing your daughter is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. I wish I could have her back.

‘Our lives are now completely changed forever. We have lost our beautiful little girl. It’s just devastating for all of us, for Chloe, her sister, her father, Chris.

“What happened has left the biggest hole in my heart that I know will never heal.

“Lucy was the most kind and caring person, and so gentle. I cherish memories of her.

‘I will never be able to give her a hug again, never be able to ask her how her day was, how school was that day. Everything has just been taken away from us and I can never be a part of her life again.”

James Greaves, 19, was sentenced to three and a half years in a young offenders' institution James Greaves, 19, was sentenced to three and a half years in a young offenders’ institution (Credits: Devon & Cornwall Police / SWNS)

Jailing Greaves for more than three years and Rowsell for two years, Judge Adkin told them: ‘Your involvement was to some extent the result of immaturity, yes, but you threw yourself into a drug trade for the status and money.

‘This was not a one-off, you had been dealing for months, you were selling to children.

‘Lucy Hill died because you sold her medicine, you sold her two tablets despite being concerned about the dosage.

“It seems to me that you were simply greedy, and that your love for money outweighed your concern for any customer.”

Taylor Rowsell was sentenced to two years in a young offenders institution Taylor Rowsell was given a two-year prison sentence in a young offenders institution (Credits: Devon & Cornwall Police / SWNS)

He added that Greaves played a ‘leading role’ in ‘organising, buying and selling (of drugs) on a commercial scale’ and that he knew Rowsell was selling to children.

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Detective Inspector Sally Johns said Lucy was not a ‘routine drug user’.

He said: “That night, an error in judgment by young minds led to Lucy’s future being cut short. This can be the case for anyone’s child or young adult.

‘We have seen that these substances can be fatal many times over, and this is another tragic case.

‘You don’t know what illegal drugs contain or what reaction you will have to them, but it can be fatal. I urge anyone considering using drugs to think twice and reconsider.”

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