Teenage drug dealer jailed after 'lovely' schoolboy died from ecstasy overdose

Josh Reeson, 15, tragically died after taking ectasy at a party, and drug dealer Alexander Leonard Payne, who was 16 at the time, has been jailed for over four years

A teenage drug dealer has been put behind bars after a schoolboy tragically died from an ecstasy overdose.

Josh Reeson, 15, from York, sadly fell ill after he took the class A drug at a party in September 2020. He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead two days later. Josh, who was known as a "bright, polite and hard-working student", died just after he celebrated his birthday.

His headteacher, Dave Hewitt, said in a tribute at the time that his pals saw him as a "true friend", according to The York Press. He earlier said in a statement: "Earlier this week, members of staff shared their memories of Josh with me and have described him as being engaged in his studies, bright, polite and a hard-working student who came from a loving and supportive family.

"Students knew him as a true friend. Many of them have told me how he was there to listen to them, help them with their worries and would always make time to contact them if he knew they were having a hard time. Our lasting memory of him will be of a lovely young man who will be sadly missed."

Police launched an investigation into his death and uncovered a gang's production of edibles infused with THC - the psychoactive chemical detected in cannabis. They found the incriminating evidence in a house, where police also found ecstasy and cocaine.

Officers found Alexander Leonard Payne, then aged 16, who continued to deal in drugs when released on bail, York Crown Court heard. He was caught two months later near the University of York with Ecstasy tablets ready for sale and was dealing in LSD and cannabis in 2021.

In October 2022, he was caught in a car with cocaine with a street value of £20,800, £925 in cash and a cannabis dealer in the front passenger seat. Payne, now 20, of Overdale Road, was jailed for four-and-a-half years alongside two other co-defendants as part of to supply drugs.

Also in the dock on Thursday was Jay Connor Baxter, now 22, who made cannabis edibles in the house run by fellow gang member and mother-of-six Sian Roe, 37. They both received an 18-month community order after admitting conspiracy to produce THC on the day of their trial.

Roe was ordered to 80 hours unpaid work, while Baxter was ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work. A third teenager, Joseph Gilchrist, then 17 and now 22, was jailed in January this year for deliberately obstructing the police investigation.

Judge Simon Hickey said: "As I say to anyone dealing with Class A drugs, and this case is an example of this, Class A drugs cause degradation, misery and death. In this case there was a death." Josh and two other teenagers, just 14, were admitted to York Hospital on September 27, 2020, all suffering from drug overdoses.

The other two survived, but Josh died in hospital two days later, just after his 15th birthday. In mitigation for Payne, Ayman Khokhar said he had had a difficult upbringing and had started taking cocaine in his early teens. He had gone into drug dealing "with his eyes wide open" and had done so to fund his own addiction, he told the court.

Payne had found the body of his brother Edward, who the court had heard was implicated in the conspiracy to supply offences, after he had killed himself. Since his arrest in 2022, he had not offended and had tackled his drug habit. Mr Khokhar said: "He is (now) behaving in a way that signifies he has learnt his lesson. He has taken action since October 2022 to put his teenage offending behind him."

For Baxter, Rukhsanda Hussain said his involvement had been limited to production of the edibles and he had had no idea of the scale of the operation. It was his first offence and he had not offended after 2021, when he had been convicted of possessing cannabis. He had been using cannabis to help him cope with a trauma he had suffered some years earlier.

In 2024, he ran his own business and was financially independent, the court was told. For Roe, Laura Addy said she knew cannabis edibles were being made in her house but didn't know they were being sold. She thought they had been given to friends, the court was told.

Speaking after sentencing, Nichola Holden, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "My thoughts are with Joshua's family and friends. We would urge anyone who is involved in this type of criminality to look at the death of Joshua and ask the question, is it worth it?"