UK: Outrage over Tolworth – September 2000 Outrage over rave
By thisislocallondon - Friday 08 September 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Residents are outraged at police inaction over last weekend's illegal 48-hour rave on Tolworth Court Farm where music was so loud it could be heard four miles away.
Police stood by as 2,000 ravers, many high on drugs, danced to music generated by the seven sound stages which could be heard as far away as Ashtead and drove residents out of their homes in search of a night's sleep.
Under laws brought in to control raves in the early 1990s police did have the power to direct people to leave the field but Superintendent Keith Free said: "To eject them may well have resulted in violence and injury. The decision I took was that the safest option would be to allow them to continue and to monitor the situation."
He added: "There was always the threat they would move to empty places in the town centre."
Frustrated by the police decision to take no action and maddened by a lack of sleep some residents threatened to take the law into their own hands and attack the ravers with baseball bats.
Jim Taylor of Chessington Residents' Association said: "This was absolute anarchy."
But Superintendent Free said: "We have had a safe and successful operation which was marred only by the noise situation."
The last of the ravers left Tolworth Court Farm on Monday evening. The field has been secured by the council.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: ‘Tolworth ravers will be punished’ – September 2000 'Ravers will be punished'
By thisislocallondon - Thursday 21 September 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Police, who came under fire for allowing an illegal rave which kept residents of West Ewell, Stoneleigh and Worcester Park awake for 48 hours, say the organisers have not been allowed to get away scot free.
Superintendent Keith Free, of Kingston Police, told angry councillors last week he had been "stuck between a rock and a hard place" and feared far greater damage and violent confrontations if police had tried to tackle the 2,000 ravers on Tolworth Court Farm directly.
But he said: "We are trying to bring to book the organisers of this illegal trespass and bring charges of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance."
Surrey Police were quizzed on how they would have managed the situation at a meeting of Epsom and Ewell's Police and Community Group last Thursday.
They agreed removing 2,000 ravers once the event started would be "problematic" and added that calling officers in from around the county on a Saturday night might endanger lives elsewhere.
Mid Surrey's divisional commander Superintendent Keith Rogers said: "If we get information and intelligence that it is happening and we are able to intervene at an early stage, then that's the ideal situation. If I was presented with the situation facing that police commander, I can't say it would have been done any quicker than it was. It depends on what resources are available, how quickly officers can be mobilised and what the threat is."
Home Office Minister Charles Clarke has agreed to meet Epsom and Ewell MP Sir Archie Hamilton, prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate Chris Grayling, councillors Jean Smith and George Crawford and Neil Bevan of Cuddington Residents' Association on November 1.
They will be looking for reassurances that the situation will not be allowed to happen again.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Tolworth party was on website – September 2000 Tolworth party was on website
By thisislocallondon - Friday 08 September 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
The Tolworth Court Farm rave was advertised on the internet and by word of mouth.
The web-site Partyvibe.com identified the location as London and gave two mobile phone numbers which, when called, gave directions to the farm.
Greater London Assembly representative Tony Arbour said: "Why didn't the police know in advance when ravers knew the time and location?"
But a police spokesman said: "We do monitor the internet but the situation is such that, given the size of what we are dealing with, we are not necessarily going to be able to pick up everything straight away, and they are posted at fairly short notice."
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Will security cameras put an end to illegal raves? – September 2000 Will security cameras put an end to illegal raves?
By thisislocallondon - Thursday 28 September 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Security cameras may be introduced at Tolworth Court Farm following the illegal three-day rave a month ago.
The Kingston cabinet made a raft of proposals last week to prevent a repeat of the event which was attended by 3,000 people and prompted thousands of complaints to the police and the council from local residents.
Among the suggestions was to extend CCTV, planned for Tolworth Broadway, down to the site on Kingston Road and Jubilee Way.
The council has put also submitted planning applications to rebuild and add to large mounds of earth at the front of Tolworth Court farm in response to the illegal rave which happened on the land last month. The mounds are designed to prevent any illegal entry onto the site by travellers or ravers.
It is also going to draw up a 'major incidents plan' to improve communications between the council, police, residents and other agencies in emergencies. A report is being prepared on how existing guidelines to deal with illegal occupation of land by travellers can be revised to cover larger events such as raves.
MP Edward Davey has written to Home Secretary Jack Straw asking to meet him to discuss the policing issues which have arisen from the rave.
Kingston Superintendent Keith Free said: "I am hopeful the team of officers chasing the rave organisers will soon be successful."
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Rave organisers are set to be prosecuted – September 2000 Rave organisers are set to be prosecuted
By thisislocallondon - Wednesday 10 May 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
During the party, attended by up to 3,000 people in the old post office sorting office in Ashdown Road, thousands of pounds of damage was caused to the building.
Every wall in the three- storey building was covered in graffiti, works of art belonging to students were smashed or stolen, two computers were stolen and windows were smashed.
The ravers also left behind piles of rubbish, human faeces, and pools of urine.
The head of operations at Kingston Police, Superintendent Keith Free, said: "The allegations of criminal damage will be thoroughly investigated and the organisers will be held responsible for activities under their control."
Raficq Abdula, Kingston University Secretary, said: "This is a criminal act over which any sensible person would be incensed and we will be discussing this matter actively with the local police."
But Ronald Dear, director of Cliveden Estates (London), which leases the property to Kingston University, said: "I can't be bothered to chase around a couple of air heads. We are improving security and getting in the contractors to clean up."
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: ‘Stop our rave and we’ll riot’ – September 2000 'Stop our rave and we'll riot'
By thisislocallondon - Friday 08 September 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
RAVERS held a two-day dance and drugs party at a disused supermarket in Leytonstone at the weekend
About 2,000 revellers packed into the former Co-op Pioneer store in the High Road after organisers broke into the building and declared it a party zone late on Saturday night.
Residents were left sleepless for two nights as loud music pumped out from the former food hall, which was turned into a massive dance area with DJs and a light show.
The revelling went on until about 8am on Monday. Desperate householders flooded the police with calls but were shocked to be told that nothing could be done about it.
One elderly resident was found wandering around the site on Sunday morning dazed and confused, complaining that she had not slept.
Shortly after, a baptism at neighbouring St John's Church was ruined by the rumble of "industrial" and "garage" music.
Drunken party bingers also targeted a local off-licence and stole more booze after they had run out of supplies and money.
Anger is now focused on the way the Co-operative Group has let the building fall into ruin and failed to secure the site.
When the Guardian confronted the rave organisers, they claimed they were just enjoying themselves.
Dave, 33, who would not give his surname, said: "When we look for buildings for parties we try to keep them away from residential areas. But sometimes you just can't help it and it's nice to party.
"We do these all over the place and people come together for a good time. The police seemed reasonable, although I didn't speak to them. Thanks for having us.
"Two days is not long to put up with it and if people get offended then it is a secondary concern."
Ian, 29, added: "The gate was just open and we walked through into the building. We knew the site was empty."
But Rev Raymond Draper, vicar of St John's Church, is fuming.
He said: "They have no right to deny every person their sleep. They have no right to steal from local shops and intimidate shopkeepers.
"And they have no right to disturb a church going about its normal business of worship and to intimidate a whole community.
"All you could hear through the baptism service was thud, thud, thud. It was like an earthquake."
"The problem has got to a boiling point with anger about the way the Co-op has not done anything about the site and watched the situation get worse and worse. This weekend was the last straw."
Cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Sally Buckley, added: "The situation at the old Pioneer site is quite disgraceful. It is something that local residents and businesses should not have to put up with.
"This weekend-long so-called party is just another anti-social episode and it is really time the Co-op sorted the problem once and for all.
"The Co-op and its agents are responsible for the security of the site and they should be good neighbours and keep the antisocial elements out."
She said that the noise team was called to the site but was unable to act because of the absence of appropriate police support.
A spokesman for the Co-op, Phil Edwards, said: "Since we closed the store down earlier this year we have had security at the premises on a daily basis. Obviously it was a determined effort to get in.
"We will be bricking up the windows and, as of now, got a permanent 24-hour security presence on the site for as long as we consider it necessary.
"It is absolutely not the case that we have let down the community and we have been making efforts to keep the site secure.
"We are planning to redevelop the site and the message to the community is that we don't want it to just stand there and fester."Dave and Ian, organisers of the rave.
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Residents who fled three-day rave threaten to sue police – September 2000 Residents who fled three-day rave threaten to sue police
The Independent - 05 September 2000
Copyright: The Independent
A three-day rave that drove suburban residents to flee their homes ended yesterday, leaving behind mounds of smouldering debris as well as renewed concern over police resources. Days after the Metropolitan Police admitted that the Notting Hill Carnival was beyond its resources, the force was denounced for failing to move on the noisy New Age travellers who had invaded council-owned land in the royal borough of Kingston upon Thames.
"They took the line of least resistance, which was effectively giving them a licence to break the law," said Keith Witham, a Conservative councillor. "The local residents and Kingston council are seething. The police weren't willing or able to use the powers they have to move them on."
Yesterday, as the last of 2,000 New Age travellers packed up their tents and sound systems, residents of the Tolworth area of south-west London said they would be demanding compensation, and councillors said they would be making representations to Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and the police authority.
The illegal party, promoted internationally via the internet, began on Friday when the event's organisers arrived and used a mechanical digger to move mounds of earth deliberately put in place to deter travellers. The initial police presence was no match for the invading armies of dilapidated cars and buses.
By Friday night, locals were being subjected to thumping music audible for several miles. Many residents opted to move to hotels. Yesterday they were threatening legal action against the police to recoup their costs.
Mr Witham said they were furious that police were either unwilling or unable to help environmental health officers to enforce a noise abatement order, or to take action themselves under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. Kingston policesaid that they were left with few option because they had only 12 officers on duty over the weekend. The travellers had threatened to move the rave to a venue in Kingston and "trash" the town centre if they were forced off land at Tolworth Court Farm.
Chief Superintendent Keith Free said yesterday: "We decided that because of the alternative site and given our available police resources, which meant we were severely outnumbered, it would not be appropriate to confront these people.The alternative was 2,000 people marauding around the streets of Kingston town centre."
Yesterday Mr Witham said that the council would be complaining to the police authority about under-resourcing. "I appreciate such an event is beyond the resources of any local police division but they should be able to call on the Metropolitan Police as a whole."
Rory Faulkner, a councillor and the chairman of Tolworth neighbourhood committee, said yesterday that residents had been outraged.
"The threats from the ravers of 'trashing' Kingston town centre if forced to move are despicable and it is a shame than none of these people will be punished for the damage they have done in Tolworth," he said.
Bruce McDonald, chief executive of Kingston council, said: "Councillors will be making strenuous representations on behalf of residents to the Home Secretary to get this important issue addressed."
However a police spokesman said later: "It was not a matter of shortage of officers. If a strategic decision had been made to move them off the site we would have sourced officers from elsewhere across London.
http://www.independent.co.uk/
World: Rave on the Great Wall of China – August 2000 Rave on the Great Wall
By Time Asia - 7 August, 2000
Copyright: Time Asia
It was 2.30am when a rat ran across my legs that I decided it was time to quit the Great Wall of China and head for the small hotel at the bottom of the valley. I had been sitting on a stone stairway looking at a harvest moon. It wasn't only the rat. It was also the music -- decibels and decibels of pumping house, techno, funk and trance. I had wanted to see the sun come up, but decided I preferred silence to sunrise and staggered down the wall, past the watchtowers with a torch in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, to bed.
"Another Brick in the Wall," the organizers of the June 17 event called it. Another kick in the pants, more likely, for this was decorous anarchy with Chinese characteristics and one more step down the road to artistic mayhem. It was a rave [dance party] on the Great Wall at Jinshanling, about a three-hour drive from Beijing. It was not the first -- that was in 1998 -- but it was certainly the grandest, with fireworks, endless beer, tequilas and a barbecue. And the authorities in Beijing knew nothing about it.
It was all above board, though. Permission had been given by the local municipality which took 20,000 renmimbi (about $2,400) in rent for the use of three watchtowers and about 200 meters of wall for one night. The police wages were 2,000 yuan ($240), and then there were the medics. They seemed to spend most of the night trying to stop a couple of comatose kid drunks from rolling down the wall from one watchtower to the next.
It was a ticket-only affair, costing 300 renmimbi (about $35), that pulled in about 400 ravers. News of the event was spread by word-of-mouth through the bars of Beijing. "We had to keep the rave fairly closely under wraps," a spokesman for the organizers said. "If the Beijing authorities had found out they would have banned it and we couldn't take that risk."
You could see why. The wall, of course, was one reason; it could not be desecrated. And the music was probably considered subversive. The leading band was a punk group of Chinese dropouts with dyed-blond hair called the Anarky Boys. The singer wore a T-shirt emblazoned with 'Junkie's Baddy Powder' and spent most of the act using the F word in English. It was tame for the foreigners stomping to his beat and probably went straight over the heads of the Chinese there and the police. Only the group of Mongolian hookers who were giving old fossils like me the glad eye probably got the message.
But it looked wild. And appearances seem to matter more than ideology in today's China. Even the rave's organizers -- The China Pump Factory -- expressed their political solidarity with the ruling Communist Party, and chose a portrait of that great icon of community spirit Lei Feng for their logo. This "rustless screw" of communist propaganda -- whose short life was devoted to helping his neighbors -- died in the 1960s when a telephone pole fell on his head. His image this time was at the Great Wall shaking the night away on foreign and Chinese chests.
I can't see why Beijing should get upset. After all, bands and dancing have been central to the life of good communists. Mao and the old guard were slow-slow-quick-quick-slowing to the tunes of Glenn Miller through the caves of Yennan and the pavilions of Zhongnanhai every holiday. We don't know what President Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister Zhu Rongji prefer. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if it wasn't rock 'n' roll. No, on second thoughts, it's probably country and western.
http://www.time.com/
UK: Rave vandals fingerprints are sent for examination – June 2000 Rave vandals fingerprints are sent for examination
By thisislocallondon - Friday 16 June 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Fingerprints found on paint and chemical canisters have been sent for examination but DC Ron Harvey, who is dealing with the case, said "pressure of work" means it will be several weeks before results are known.
Three thousand people attended the rave on April 29 at the old GPO in Ashdowne Road, which resulted in the destruction of works of art by Kingston University students and widespread damage to the premises.
Liberal Democrat councillors have hit out at Conservative leader Councillor David Edwards who criticised police handling of the situation.
Councillor Roger Hayes said: "With just 17 officers on duty the police acted the only way they could in avoiding major trouble in the town centre. The Conservatives should learn the facts before making such comments and should blame the under-resourcing of the police started by their Government and perpetuated by Labour.
"The town centre has recently lost its beat officer who may have picked up on local intelligence that could have averted this criminal activity. The fact is that with a severely under-resourced police force these kind of criminal acts will continue to happen.
"We must support the local police in handling situations in the best way they can until staff levels are increased to prevent crime properly."
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Move to stop Tolworth style events from happening again – May 2000 Move to stop any more raves
By thisislocallondon - Wednesday 03 May 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Likely rave sites are to be protected and council-police co-operation re-examined in a bid to prevent a repetition of the massive rave at the start of the month. At a Kingston Council meeting last week, Kingston Police were again criticised for not putting a stop to the rave at Tolworth Court Farm.
But Superintendent Keith Free, acting head of Kingston police, stood by his decision not to risk public safety by closing down the event.
He said: "Given the mood of the people arriving and their stated intention to move that event to the town centre, I considered that could result in far greater damage and violent confrontation.
"We are trying to bring to book the organisers of this illegal trespass and bring charges of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance."
Councillor Dennis De Lord complained that there were only seven officers on duty, despite a £1.5 million increase in the borough's police precept.
"Where are the other 250 [officers] we apparently have protecting our interests? It's an absolute disgrace."
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
UK: Police move to halt rave – May 2000 Police move to halt rave
By thisisessex - Monday 22 May 2000
Copyright: thisisessex
Police were called to Rivenhall Airfield after receiving complaints from residents about a giant rave.
The bumper event - staged in a disused plane hangar - was attended by 500 party-goers and lasted until after 9am yesterday.
At this point police, who had been keeping tabs on events throughout the night, closed the rave following complaints from people living nearby.
It is the second time this year the airfield has been targeted as a dance venue. In March, a small-scale version of this weekend's party was also held in the village.
Jo Smith, who owns nearby Allshots Farm, went to the hangar in the early hours to speak some of the ravers.
He said: "Last time you wouldn't have even known they were here because they cleaned up after themselves. This time they didn't do such a good job - probably because there were more people - and it's obvious there's been a rave.
"We're not impressed because it looks pretty terrible. Some of the rubbish has been bagged up, but there's still empty tins of beer everywhere.
"It's a difficult situation for us because there's so little we can do."
Mr Smith added that revellers in up to 200 cars and vans converged on Rivenhall for the event, parking at the side of a lane running from his farm to the hangar.
A spokesman for Braintree police confirmed that between 300 and 500 people from across the country were at the rave.
He added: "We received various complaints in the early hours about noise from the rave, as did Braintree Council's environmental health department.
"There were no problems in terms of anyone committing public order offences so we decided to monitor the situation, rather than close the rave."
http://www.thisisessex.co.uk/
UK: Rave sparks fury – May 2000 Rave sparks fury
By thisislocallondon - Wednesday 03 May 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
On Sunday morning, 12 hours after the rave began at the old post office in Ashdown Road, leased by the Kingston University's fine arts department, the party broke up leaving the building covered in graffiti and many of the students' works of art destroyed or stolen.
Residents and the building's owners are furious that police, called to the scene shortly after 10pm, decided not to break up the party for fear of sparking a serious disturbance.
Instead they blocked-off the one-way road and stopped buses and cars to allow eight vans with sound equipment through and then worked in shifts for 12 hours to prevent public disorder.
Environmental health officers served notices on the organisers but were unable to stop the party.
John Douglas, 33, of Ashdown Road, said: "It was a major disturbance. Police blocked off the road and stopped cars and buses. It was a money making venture - tickets were being sold."
Ronald Dear, director of Cliveden Estates (London) which owns the premises, said: "It's a disgrace. There is internal graffiti spread all over.
"My first question is why police did not stop the burglary. People broke into the building occupied by tenants. Why were they not ejected and arrested?"
Professor Bruce Russell head of the School of Fine Arts, stressed that the organisers had nothing to do with the university, and said: "The university is completely devastated and disgusted by this outright act of destruction."
Police told the Guardian they are pessimistic about finding the organisers of the rave, despite the fact that they were served with environmental notices by a noise patrol, and said that they unlikely to be able to take further action.
Chris Newport, assistant borough environmental health and safety officer, said: "For safety, officers do not confront the people making the noise.
"As far as I am aware our officers served notices on people who organised the party. Whether action will be taken I do not know. They could be prosecuted."
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/
World: Ravers Fight Party Ban in Paradise – February 2000 Ravers Fight Party Ban in Paradise
by The Guardian - Monday February 7, 2000
Copyright: The Guardian
For 25 years Goa has been the party and rave capital of India; the place to go if you want to hang out and dance until dawn. But for the thousands of British partygoers who flock to the beautiful coastal state their hedonistic nights may finally be coming to an end after a court ruling banning outdoor music over 45 decibels.
The decision has delighted environmental groups, who have long campaigned to stop the raves, which they claim are destroying the fragile eco-systems of Goa's beaches and rainforests. But Paul Schwartz, a UK dance promoter involved with the Goa Trance scene for 10 years, told the Big Issue that the ruling was a "disaster" for ravers. "The criminal justice act put a stop to the outdoor scene in the UK, and so everyone went to Goa. Now Goa is gone where can we go?"
Matters came to a head in December when a group of environmental protesters, calling themselves the Goa Environment Federation, took the organisers of a huge rave planned for Christmas and new year to the high court in Bombay. The 11-day party, billed as the biggest rave of the millennium, was stopped after the court heard evidence that the organisers had violated coastal regulation zone laws by erecting buildings on the beachside plot.
The environmentalists moved swiftly to consolidate their victory, filing a detailed petition describing loud music put on for tourists as a "public menace". They also complained about noise pollution caused by music blaring from loudspeakers on churches and temples. Last month the high court passed the order banning loud music between 10pm and 7am. According to Claude Alvares, from the environmental group the Goa Foundation, the ruling has crippled the rave party scene. One party organiser who tried to hold a rave last week was issued with a contempt notice as well as being charged with violation of noise pollution laws.
Sue Wheat, of Tourism Concern, a pressure group based in London which espouses responsible and sustainable tourism, said the ruling was a victory for local people. "It highlights the fact that people do actually live in these areas and their everyday lives are not always helped by round the clock partying throughout the year. This is another example of communities standing up and saying this is not how we want tourism to be run where we live."
But not everybody is so convinced the move will benefit local people. David Abram, author of the Rough Guide to Goa, who has been a regular visitor to the coastal state for the past decade, said that rather than the big party organisers it would be the locals running small bars on the beaches and the stallholders who sell food and snacks to the ravers who would bear the brunt of the court order. According to reports, those who depend on the party scene for their living have formed a Goa Music Lovers Association to fight the court order and have been meeting local people to raise awareness of the ramifications of the music ban.
The association is expected to file an intervention application in the high court in Bombay today. Mr Abram said the extent of the rave scene in Goa has been consistently overhyped. "In people's minds Goa has become synonymous with parties and hedonism, but it is far removed from that nowadays. It is much more middle aged, much more laid back."
According to Mr Abram the main threat to the raves is not the courts in Bombay, but the local police. "The police have been demanding enormous bribes to let these parties go ahead, and the people organising them simply cannot get the money. "Things have been made illegal in Goa before, but it's always the case that if you are willing to pay enough you can get round it. It will be no different this time."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
UK: New Year ‘free-for-all’ – December 1999 New Year drugs 'free-for-all'
by T. Thompson Sunday December 26, 1999
Copyright: T. Thompson
People will not be punished for smoking cannabis and taking drugs during millennium celebrations as part of unprecedented police plans to adopt a 'maximum tolerance' policy for the biggest celebration the world has ever seen. As millions of people prepare to take to the streets for parties next weekend, police forces across the country are expected to turn a blind eye to drug use, enabling thousands of revellers to take drugs with virtually no risk of being prosecuted. Although the official police line is that they will respond to any crime as firmly as at any other time of the year, officers on the beat privately admit that, with up to five million people taking to the streets, they will struggle to cope with the higher than normal levels of drunkenness, let alone drug-taking.
'If you tried to arrest every person smoking a spliff at the Notting Hill Carnival, you'd have a riot on your hands,' said one Metropolitan Police officer who will be working during the celebrations. 'We'd also fill every police station in the country in a few hours. During the millennium we might warn people to be a bit more discreet, but that's as far as it goes. It will go on as long as the celebrations go on - probably at least two days.' However, while anyone using small amounts of drugs on a personal basis is likely to be ignored, police are expected to crack down on dealing. Fears have begun to surface that recent seizures have forced some dealers to adulterate current supplies of drugs to stretch them over the celebrations.
Some of the additives are impure and can cause sickness or even death. Three drug-related deaths have been recorded during the last week and police fear more could follow next weekend. The biggest crowds are expected to turn out in London and Edinburgh. Emergency services have been placed on red alert with a series of drastic measures to ensure public safety and to counter the effects of the millennium bug, which could strike computers that have not been programmed to recognise dates after 1999.
All police leave has been cancelled nationwide. Troops in London and elsewhere are on standby, with some ready to move at 10 minutes' notice. Extra hospital, fire and ambulance staff are on duty. A flotilla of emergency boats will patrol the Thames. Mobile phone networks face emergency cut-offs for all except key services as people swamp the networks with calls to friends and family. Key government Ministers are to meet at the Ministry of Defence at 7pm on Millennium Eve and again at 9am the following morning.
They insist Britain is better prepared than any other country to cope with crowds and computer crashes, but still admit things could go wrong. Emergency services have been warned to expect problems as varied as a rush of millennium babies, mass suicides by religious cults expecting the end of the world, and a terrorist attack on the Millennium Dome.
UK: Fear over girl’s party death – December 1999 Fear over girl's party death
by P. Kelso Tuesday December 28, 1999
Copyright: P. Kelso
A 15-year-old girl who died at a schoolfriend's Christmas Day party was believed to be the youngest drugs victim in Scotland this year. The body of Kerry-Ann Kirk of Coatbridge, Strathclyde, lay undiscovered at the friend's house for more than 12 hours. The friend's parents said last night they had carefully monitored the party. Kerry-Ann's mother, Marie Kirk, said yesterday: "I could not believe it when I was told she was dead. It has not sunk in yet. Kerry-Ann was mature. She got on great with the kids and she was a great help to me. "Kerry had nothing to do with drugs - she hated them. If there were drugs involved I would take it that someone put them in her drink or something like that. I do not think she would have taken drugs."
Kerry-Ann arrived at the house of Sean Stack at about 7pm on Christmas Day. Sean's father, Kevin Stack, who was supervising the party, said he thought Kerry-Ann had left when the party broke up around midnight. "It was about 1pm the next day that we found her in the bedroom. Someone had thrown a cover over her and she must have been there all night." Mr Stack said he had seen no evidence of drugs at the party. "We were keeping an eye on things and didn't see any drugs or anything like that." His wife, Sandra, said: "Our hearts go out to the family. More than that we do not know what to say, but I am really sorry about what has happened."
A post mortem will determine the cause of death. Mrs Kirk, 39, said her family was distraught. Her older children, Gary, 17, and Cheryl, 12, were shocked by the tragedy but Jamie, three, and Marie-Louise, three months, were too young to understand. "Kerry-Ann was not a drinker. She was very popular and she had so many friends. People liked her because she was genuine. She was so pretty and always good company. I do not know what I will do without her," she said. Mrs Kirk said Kerry-Ann had been upset at the death of her father, Gerard, in March this year. The couple were divorced.
Donald Dewar, Scotland's first minister, said: "This is tragic and alarming news. This is why we are putting £10m into the drug enforcement agency and appointing 2,300 more police officers in the fight against drugs." Strathclyde police are investigating six other drugs-related deaths since Christmas Eve, but a spokesman for the force said there was no connection between them. "All of these deaths, apart from Kerry-Ann's, are heroin-related, but this is not down to a bad batch of heroin - it is just this is traditionally a bad time for drug deaths." There have been 146 drug-related deaths in Strathclyde this year, a 46% increase on 1998. John Orr, chief constable of Strathclyde, said the 146 deaths came despite outstanding drugs seizures throughout the region.
"The force is extremely sensitive to the fact that every death of this nature leaves behind close family and friends devastated by the tragedy," he said. "Society, as a priority, needs to utilise every means at its disposal to reduce and hopefully eradicate drugs deaths. "This is a multifaceted and complex problem that requires robust and coordinated efforts by all agencies."
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