Nathan Pavlovic was just 21 when he became unwell after taking the Class A drug MDMA, dying just hours later. Now his family have issued a heartfelt warning as students start university
The devastated parents of a student have issued a heartfelt warning after he took an illegal drug only once and it killed him.
Nathan Pavlovic was just 21 when he became unwell after taking the Class A drug MDMA. Tragically Nathan, who had just begun the third year of a forensic computing degree at Newcastle University, died hours later.
As millions of students begin the university year, Nathan’s parents, Alex and Beth, issued a heartfelt warning about the danger of drugs. They spoke out about the tragedy in order to warn students of the dangers of experimenting with illegal substances.
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Beth said: “We can’t emphasise enough how much of a risk you are putting yourself at by taking these substances. We understand that young people often give in to peer pressure in certain situations and want to fit in by doing things they know they shouldn’t.
“But please trust your own judgement and think twice before taking illegal drugs. This was the first, and last, time that Nathan tried MDMA and he has lost his life because of it.”
She added: “Nathan was destined for a bright future and he had so much to look forward to in his life. All of that has been taken away from him and us.”
Northumbria Police found that Kasam Ali had sold the drugs to George Harle, who then shared them with Nathan, of Halifax, W. Yorks, in Oct., 2020. Ali, 35, of Croydon Road, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA, cocaine, ketamine and cannabis with intent to supply. Harle, 25, of Shield Street, also Newcastle, admitted supplying MDMA.
Nathan’s dad Alex added: “There is a Nathan-shaped hole in our lives. My message to anyone thinking about taking drugs is that this could be you.”
Both Nathan’s parents told of the pain of ‘not being able to hug him again.” Ali was jailed for three years and seven months in July. Harle was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Nathan was in his student accommodation with friends on the night that he died and they had all been drinking. A woman who took some of the MDMA said it made her paranoid and physically sick.
Nathan and Harle both described as hallucinating but the effects on Nathan were more pronounced. He got worse and was put to bed and was heard shouting around 4.30am.
He was very hot and a woman tried to cool him down and called for help. An ambulance was sent out and he was taken to hospital and died at 7.23am. Tests showed Nathan had taken a substantial amount of MDMA which was “likely to have been a fatal dose for anyone”.
Det Sgt David Wylam, of Northumbria Police, said: “Taking illegal drugs brings with it the very real risk of life threatening or life changing consequences. No-one actually knows what the substance is they are taking. A choice to take these substances can leave a lasting and devastating impact.”
