Teenagers who supplied drugs to schoolgirl who died sentenced

Lucy Hill, 16, from Exmouth, Devon, died in December 2022 after taking MDMA and collapsing at the Move nightclub on Exeter Quay.

James Greaves, 19, of Hatt, Cornwall, and Taylor Rowsell, 18, of Rosebery Road, Exmouth, were sentenced for their roles in supplying the drugs at Exeter Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard that Greaves had supplied the MDMA tablets – also known as ecstasy – to Rowsell, who sold it to people attending a young persons’ night at the club, where no alcohol was being served.

Rowsell made around £350 selling the pills to the partygoers, including Lucy and her friends.

Rowsell and Greaves were 16 and 17 respectively at the time of the offences and previously admitted supplying class A drugs.

Judge James Adkin handed Greaves a three-and-a-half-year sentence in a young offender institution, while Rowsell was given a two-year sentence.

Passing sentence, the judge said that Rowsell had expressed concerns about the dosages in the tablets, but still sold drugs to children, branding him “greedy”.

He said: “Your involvement was through immaturity, yes, to an extent, but you threw yourself into a drug dealing business for the status and the money.

“This was not a one-off, you had been dealing for months, you sold to children.

“Lucy Hill died because you sold her drugs, you sold her two tablets, despite the fact that you were concerned about the dosage.

“It seems to me you were simply greedy, and your greed for money was greater than your concern for any customer.”

Judge Adkin described Greaves as a “wholesaler”, who made up the drugs capsules for others to sell on the street.

He said Greaves had played a “leading role” in the “organising, buying and selling (of drugs) on a commercial scale” and that he knew Rowsell was selling drugs to children.

“You knew that Rowsell was acquiring drugs to sell to children, that’s evident from text messages,” he said.

“The additional aggravating feature is obvious – the drug you supplied killed a 16-year-old girl.”

In her victim’s personal statement Debbie Hill, Lucy’s mother, described the loss of her daughter as “devastating”.

“Our lives have now completely changed forever,” she said. “We’ve lost our beautiful little girl. It’s just devastating for all of us, for Chloe, her sister, for her dad Chris.

“What has 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 sweet-natured. I cling on to the memories of her.

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

Lucy’s sister Chloe said in her victim personal statement: “No day gets any easier nor does the pain ever fade. I would do anything to have Lucy back by my side.

“Life is so hard without Lucy. I lost my best friend. My heart aches and the loss never leaves my mind. I miss doing everything with you.”

Addressing the drug dealers, she said would have to live the rest of her life without her little sister because of the decisions they made.

“Not only have your actions and decisions taken Lucy away from this world but you’ve also robbed me of my life. A life without Lucy by my side.”

Lucy attended Exmouth Community College, which said she would be “greatly missed”.

In a previous tribute, the college said: “Lucy was a kind, considerate beautiful person. She was very well-liked by her peers and the staff who knew her well.

“She was always smiling, looking out for others and many of her friends benefited from her loyalty and care.

“She was bright, hard-working and well-motivated.

“She will be greatly missed but has left us all with fond memories of the lovely person that she was.”

Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Sally Johns, said Lucy’s family has been devastated by their loss, with Devon and Cornwall officers supporting them throughout the investigation.

She said: “Lucy was not a routine drug user, she was simply a young girl embarking on life, looking forward to the future ahead of her.

“That evening an error of judgment in young minds led to Lucy’s future being cut so tragically short. This could be the case for anyone’s child or young adult.

“We have seen that these substances can kill many times, and this is another tragic case.

“You don’t know what illegal drugs contain or what reaction you may have to them – but it could be fatal. I urge anyone considering taking drugs to think twice and reconsider.”