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Three Arrested After Drug-Related Deaths At Mutiny Festival UK
18-year old Georgia Jones and 20-year old Tommy Cowan died in Portsmouth Hospital, England, after falling ill at
Mutiny Festival – Mutiny Festival 2017
The Sunday was cancelled after two people died from taking drugs at the event
Jones reportedly fell ill on the festival site, the King George V Playing Fields in Cosham, at around 7:10 p.m. Cowan collapsed around 20 minutes earlier. A total of 15 people were taken to hospital on that night, not all of them in relation to drug incidents. On person was still in critical condition at press time.
Jones’ mother has taken to Facebook to share her grief. “My little girl was 18 and full of life and I just hope this stops at least some of you from ending up the same.” She confirmed that Jones “dies yesterday due to complications after taking two pills at Mutiny.”
Damian Cowan, the other victim’s father, told the Plymouth News that his son “loved life and he loved his little boy. He was everything. He was a good lad – unfortunately he made a bad choice.”
Police have made three arrests in relation to the incident, taking a 20-year-old man, a 20-year- old woman and a 22-year- old man into custody on the night of May 27 “on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs,” according to a police statement.
As a result of the two deaths and the many people being admitted to hospital, the organizers of Mutiny Festival decided to cancel the second festival day May 27.
“Following the terrible news from earlier today, the team behind Mutiny Festival are incredibly sad to announce that the Sunday of the festival has been cancelled as a safety precaution,” a statement read.
“The safety of our amazing customers has always been paramount to us and so to keep everyone safe and in respect to those who have passed, we have taken the decision not to open today. As you can imagine, this decision was not taken lightly and was taken with the support of the local statutory authorities who we continue to work with,” the statement continued.
Organizers also adviced their guests “to responsibly dispose of any substances.” Later that day, a second statement followed: “We would like to apologize for the cancellation of today’s festival. But in the light of yesterday’s tragic circumstances our decision was supported by the police, that we needed to safeguard our Festival Family and respect the young people who sadly lost their lives.
“We are of course aware that many people are asking about refunds – we are actively working with our insurers and will update on this position as soon as we’re able. We would like to thank people for their patience and understanding under these very difficult circumstances.”
The cancelled day affected performances by
The two deaths have reignited the discussion around drug testing at festivals. Festival Republic made noteworthy efforts at its festivals last year, but was met with resistance from local councils in some cases.
The drug testing facilities were provided by non-profit organization The Loop, which was also present at