Dealer who sold ecstasy to tragic schoolboy Daniel Spargo-Mabbs jailed for five years

 
Rave death: Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, 16
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Matt Watts2 August 2014
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A drug dealer who supplied ecstasy to a 16-year-old boy that killed him at a rave was today jailed for five years.

Teenager Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, died in hospital three days after a rave in a disused cotton factory in Hayes, west London after he and a group of friends bought drugs from Nicqueel Pitrora.

The dealer, 18, also from Croydon, also known as Shampz, supplied Daniel and his friends with two and a half grams of MDMA.

The court heard Daniel took it all at once, dissolved In a bottle of water, before being found hours later by friends "against a wall, pale and shivering."

His mother Fiona fought back tears as she told the court about the 20 minutes it took her "loving and infinitely, endurably loveable" son to die after his life support machine was switched off.

She said: "I held him for what felt like forever but then I had to let go."

She said her pain was like "an open, gaping wound."

A letter from Pitrora, who had a string of previous convictions, was read to the court speaking of his guilt and remorse.

He said: "From the moment I heard a young man had died, because of something I had been involved in I immediately felt sorry for his friends and family."

Daniel and his friends clubbed together to pay for the drugs. A total of four calls were made to Pitrora, who went by the street name of Shampz, between 8.02pm and 8.48 pm on that fatal night.

The judge noted these were "clearly calls organising the purchase and giving directions for the pick-up - the fact that delivery was made by another does not minimise your role".

He told Pitrora that it was " apparent you made a business of supplying drugs to schoolboys using the street name Shampz to supplement your benefit income and fund your own use".

He said: "During the trial, a clear picture emerged of you and one or other of Daniel's friends, aged 15 or 16 - pre GCSE-age, phoning you from school then waiting on street corners in their school uniforms for delivery of the cannabis that they had ordered."

The judge added: " I am satisfied that you targeted such young people, providing them with a ready source of drugs, fully aware of their age and whatever the purchasers themselves may have thought.

"You were only yourself a few years older, but that is a considerable gulf in age."

Jurors had heard that on January 17 a group of youngsters aged between 15 and 17 were going to a rave.

Pitrora had pleaded guilty to supplying Class A drugs, class B drugs and the possession of cannabis.

Daniel's heartbroken mother made a victim impact statement which left some people in court in tears.

Defence counsel Stephen Bailey described it as "moving" before stating that Pitrora deeply regretted what had happened and that he wanted to turn his life around.

Speaking with her husband, Tim, at her side for support, Mrs Spargo-Mabbs told the court that Daniel's death had left their close-knit family in a devastating "haziness" which they were still trying to cope with.

Speaking of a mother's love for a son who is now dead, she said: "It is like having a limb ripped off without any anaesthetic. It it like having an enormous wound but it is much worse. I would choose either of those things than losing my son."

In her statement Mrs Spargo-Mabbs said she suffers from exhaustion, has lost an enormous amount of weight and is having counselling. Her husband is on anti-depressants and Daniel's 19 year-old brother had problems trying to settle down as he started university.

He tries to think of other things and go for long bike rides to take his mind off it but "he breaks down" as he realises again that he is now an only child, she said.

Mrs Spargo-Mabbs added: "I still cannot believe that this has happened. How can someone so full of life be there and then not be there?

"How can someone who has been such a part of my life, his mother for 16 years, not be there when I am?"

After the hearing Mr Spargo-Mabbs recalled that Daniel was a member of Amnesty International, an organ donor and been a supporter of anti-poverty campaigns.

He said: "He was a real citizen of the 21st century. He would have contributed an awesome amount of good."

Jacob said the death of his brother feels like "a part of me is missing". He added: "You always feel you could have done more. I feel like I could have treasured him more if only I had known that we would not have had him for so long."

Outside the court superintendent Des Rock said: "I'm pleased with the sentence that has been handed down today. Pitrora has only shown remorse at the last moment for his actions. He will now spend time in prison where I hope that he will reflect on the devastation that he has caused.

"Pitrora was very much responsible for co-ordinating the drugs deal and with such overwhelming evidence against him he had no choice but to plead guilty. This is of some comfort to Daniel's family but they are still grieving his untimely death.

"Daniel had his whole life ahead of him and when he set out that evening his family would have no idea of the tragedy that was about to happen. Daniel's death should serve as a warning to other young people, there can be very serious consequences if you do decide to take drugs. A good night out is not worth someone's life."

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