Mum of Sheffield drug death student says ecstasy is "not worth the risk"

22 year old Joana Burns lost her life last summer

Author: Ben BasonPublished 9th May 2018
Last updated 9th May 2018

The mum of a Sheffield student who died from taking ecstasy on a night out has warned others against the drug - saying it's "not worth the risk".

Joana Burns, 22, took it with a group of friends for a final celebration at the end of uni last June but at about 3am she started fitting.

She died in hospital the next day.

A coroner today recorded a verdict of "death by misadventure".

The pathologist who examined Joana's body after her death last summer told the court she had died of drug toxicity, after MDMA was found in her system.

He said it probably reacted with her enzymes causing her to overheat.

Her mum Mosca gave her reaction outside court afterwards:

"It was what we expected. We're just going to have to learn how to carry on with it. There's not really any closure as such."

She had this warning about ecstasy:

"I don't really think you can asses the risk. It's different every time you take it. It can have a different effect on your body, it's made in different ways, with different recipes, in different places, with different people with different ethics. It's not worth the risk."