Warning issued after teenager collapses in Rugby on New Year's Eve

Warwickshire Police is warning people to be on their guard after a 16-year-old boy fell critically ill.

Police suspect he took high-purity MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.

The boy, who is from Rugby, was discovered by a member of the public after collapsing in Bilton Road at around 9.40pm on New Year’s Eve.

The member of the public flagged down a passing police car and officers administered first aid until paramedics arrived.

Police seized ecstasy from the scene and sent it away for testing. Tests showed the tablets were high purity and possibly contained the Audi car logo and also detected the letters ‘AU’ on them.

Detective Inspector Dave Andrews said: “While it is too early to speculate on the circumstances leading up to the boy falling ill it is important to remind people of the dangers of taking illegal drugs.

“We strongly advise anyone to consider the consequences of taking any illegal substance; both in terms of their health and the legal consequences.

“We’re particularly concerned in this case because of the discovery of high-purity ecstasy. I would urge anyone with ecstasy matching the description of that seized not to take it.

“We have launched a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances leading up to the boy being taken ill and whether any criminal actions contributed to his condition.”

Anyone with information that could help police with their enquires should call 101 quoting incident 327 of 31 December 2018. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.