Teenager, 18, who smuggled ecstasy into Fabric nightclub in his sock died after he bought another pill inside because he 'couldn't feel the effects'

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Ryan Browne, 18, died of a drugs overdose in hospital in June after he and his friends smuggled MDMA into the world-famous London venue by hiding it in their socks

A teenager who died from a drugs overdose after smuggling ecstasy into Fabric nightclub bought another pill inside the venue because he could not feel the effects, an inquest has heard.

Ryan Browne, 18, died in hospital in June after he and his friends smuggled MDMA into the world-famous London club by hiding it in their socks.

An inquest into his death heard how Ryan - described as a keen sportsman - took the pills inside the club's toilet but later became 'frustrated' at not feeling the effects.

The teenager then decided to buy some more pills inside the club, triggering a cardiac arrest and his eventual death.

Ryan's high-profile death, along with that of teenager Jack Crossley in August, led to the historic club being shut down in September.

Councillors in Islington, north London, ruled to shut down the venue amid claims it had become a 'safe haven' for illegal drug use.

Police warned that further deaths would occur unless changes were made.  

During the inquest, Ryan's friend Ben Hole told how the group travelled to the club from St Albans, Hertfordshire, after buying drugs from a friend of a friend.

He said they decided to go to Fabric because it was 'known as the club in London to go to take ecstasy.' 

Mr Hole said the group did not plan on buying drugs at the venue, instead hiding the pre-purchased pills between their toes.

Although they were searched at the door, none of the group were asked to take off their shoes and socks despite other punters being asked to do so, the hearing was told.

The friends then went to the club toilets and took the pills before returning to the dance floor.

But the hearing heard how Ryan began saying that he could not feel the drugs taking hold. 

Mr Hole told the hearing how he became 'frustrated' and decided to take another one.

'We were dancing and Ryan kept saying he didn't feel it,' he told the hearing. 'Someone came up and said Ryan had gone off to try and get another one (pill) inside.'

Mr Hole told the hearing that he then saw Ryan making an 'exchange' with someone at the back of the club. Shortly after, he took a turn for the worst.  

An inquestheard how Ryan took the pills inside the club's toilet but later became 'frustrated' at not feeling the effects. The world-famous club is pictured above 

He told the coroner: 'A little while later he didn't look good. We kept asking him if he was okay but he said he was fine. But he got worse and worse.'

The hearing heard how Ryan then began hallucinating and repeatedly said 'Daniel Sturridge'. Friends also described how he was 'twitching when he was speaking'.

Another friend, Ryan Locke, said he then took Ryan outside to get some fresh air, where a bouncer urged him to seek medical treatment.  

Esther Finn, a medic at Fabric with over five years' experience, told the inquest she first saw Ryan in the medical room at 1:40am.

She described how he was 'extremely sweaty, very agitated and very confused'.

'He wasn't able to come down the stairs into the room so we had to coax him in there,' she told the hearing. 

Ryan's death - along with that of Luke Crossley (pictured) in August - led to the nightclub being shut down

'Ryan Browne's lips were blue from the moment I came into contact with him. I know what to recognise and something was very very wrong.'

The hearing heard how Ms Finn took his internal body temperature which measured 41.6C, rather than 37.5C. 

Ms Finn said Ryan then had two seizures. An ambulance crew tried to stabilise him and doctors attempted to intubate him, but he died in hospital less than an hour later.

Toxicology tests revealed Ryan had an MDMA concentration of 2.48 micrograms in his system. The hearing heard the upper limit for recreational use is deemed to be 0.35 micrograms.

The inquest also heard from general manager of Fabric nightclub Luke Laws who said he had seen an 'arms race' among drug makers.  

Islington Council revoked the club's licence after finding it had a 'culture of drug use' which staff were 'incapable of controlling'. 

But Mr Laws defended the anti-drugs policy and pointed to a lack of education among clubbers about the strength of pills.

He said: 'People making illicit drugs had to up their strength to compete with legal highs.

'I've said it before, this has to stop. I see people popping pills like they're smarties.'

Asked about dealing at the club, Mr Laws insisted drug-taking was not tolerated.

He said: 'In the last four years 83 people have been handed over to the Metropolitan Police Service for prosecution for dealing.' 

Giving her conclusion senior coroner Mary Hassell said she was satisfied that Ryan's death was 'recreational drug use gone wrong'.

'I am completely satisfied it was not his intention to end his life,' she said. 'He was a naive drug user, he was naive in life as well.

'The drugs in his system were enough to kill someone who was very habituated. And he was very far from habituated.' 

She refused to call it an 'overdose' because she said illegal drugs 'don't come with a dose on the label'.

Speaking directly to Mr Browne's family in court, including his mother Sarah, she added: 'I don't know how to make sense of a completely healthy young man with his life ahead of him succumbing in this way.'

She added that she was 'struggling' to make a prevention of further death report, adding: 'I'm not naive enough to think people will stop taking recreational drugs.'

In a statement to the coroner, Mrs Browne said her son, from St Albans, 'always had a cheeky grin on his face and will be sorely missed'.