Death At Reading Festival

United Kingdom | by Andrew Future | 25 August 2003

Tragically, an 18 year old boy was pronounced dead this morning (Monday) after he stopped breathing in one of the campsites. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

Tragic end to Carling Weekend

An eighteen year old male from Bedfordshire died at the Reading Festival in the early hours of this morning (Monday). Police have said the death is not suspicious, but a post-mortem will be carried out within the next 24 hours. Paramedics worked on the youth for over an hour in the festival campsite from 5.15am, but the unnamed individual was pronounced dead at 6.20am.

There were 500 crimes over the course of the weekend, including an indecent assault on the Friday night, for which one person was arrested. Police are urging the victim who originally came forward to get back in touch. A man was also arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after a festival goer had part of his ear bitten or cut off. The victim was taken to hospital to have it sown back on! The 35-year-old man arrested at the site was later released on police bail after the victim decided not to press charges.

Carrying out random searches, police found 164 people to be in possession of illegal drugs (perhaps they would have more luck venturing backstage?), although the huge majority of reported crimes were for personal theft (from tents) and also for deception (people selling forged or stolen tickets). There were also nine reported assaults.

Out of over 65,000 people attending the event, only 60 arrests have been made, and a spokesman said that it had all gone "very smoothly."

Festival organisers have yet to comment.