Mutiny Festival death: Mum's grief at losing 'little girl'

The mother of a teenager who died after "taking two pills" at a dance music festival in Portsmouth has spoken of her grief at losing "her little girl".

Georgia Jones, 18, and a man named locally as Tommy Bakeer, 20, died in separate incidents at Mutiny Festival.

Writing on Facebook, her mother Janine Milburn said she hoped her daughter's death would deter others from "taking anything ever".

Police have not confirmed whether drugs were involved in either of the deaths.

A Queen Alexandra Hospital spokesman said some of the people treated presented with "drug-related" symptoms. It could not confirm if all 15 illnesses were related to drugs.

A statement on Facebook from festival organisers read: "The safety of our amazing customers has always been paramount to us and so to keep everyone safe and in respect to those who have passed, we have taken the decision not to open today."

Earlier, the festival at King George V Playing Fields in Cosham had issued a "harm prevention alert" apparently warning about the use of drugs.

The message to festivalgoers described a "dangerous high-strength or bad-batch substance on site".

Organisers said on social media they were "devastated" about the deaths.

Festivalgoer Liam Blair, from Southampton, was one of thousands of revellers making their way home early after the event's cancellation.

He said closing the festival early was a "respectful" decision and that there was an atmosphere of "shock" as news of the deaths spread.

"You just don't expect that to happen to people so young," he said.

Police were alerted to Ms Jones falling ill at 19:10 BST on Saturday, and the man was found collapsed about 20 minutes later.

Both were taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, where they later died.

Ms Milburn posted a warning on Facebook about the dangers of drugs following the death of her daughter.

"If nothing else I hope what has happened to her will deter you from taking anything ever," she said.

"My little girl was 18 and full of life."

In a statement, Hampshire Police said: "The deaths are being treated as separate incidents at this stage.

"They are not being treated as suspicious but inquiries are being made to determine the circumstances of what happened in each case."

The two-day festival featured artists performing electronic music including drum 'n' bass, garage and hip hop.

Dizzee Rascal, Craig David and Sean Paul were among the acts scheduled to appear.

Speaking on Twitter, Craig David said his heart went out to the family.

More than 30,000 people were expected to attend the festival, which has been running since 2013.