Her story
Leah Betts was an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Latchingdon in Essex. On 11 November 1995, she went out with friends to celebrate her 18th birthday. At some point in the evening, the group went to Raquels nightclub in Basildon, where one of them bought a bag of ecstasy tablets stamped with an apple symbol.
Later that night, back at her parents’ house, Leah took one of the tablets. She drank around seven litres of water in 90 minutes, suffered severe water intoxication and hyponatremia, and collapsed. She was placed on life support and died on 16 November 1995, five days after her birthday.
The image
Leah’s parents, Janet and Paul Betts, made the agonising decision to release a photograph of her on life support. The image, alongside a smiling photo of her on her birthday, was used in a national anti-drug campaign with the caption Sorted: Just one ecstasy tablet took Leah Betts. It became one of the defining images of the dangers of drugs in Britain.
The connection to the Essex Boys
Essex Police traced the supply chain to Raquels nightclub in Basildon. Raquels was where Bernard O’Mahoney ran the door, and where Tony Tucker‘s firm controlled the drug trade. The dealer who sold the specific tablet was never definitively identified, but Tucker was widely believed to be ultimately responsible for the supply.
When Tucker, Tate and Rolfe were murdered just three weeks after Leah’s death, one of the early theories was retribution. Leah’s father Paul, a retired Met firearms officer, was even pulled in for questioning. He later said: I nearly got nicked for the murders. At the time I was running a clay pigeon shooting business and the police took all my guns.
The lasting impact
The Betts family went on to campaign tirelessly for drug awareness and education. The £300,000 police investigation into the supply chain never fully identified the seller, but the cultural impact of the image and the case was enormous and lasting.