A teenager has admitted supplying ecstasy to a young schoolgirl.
The 13-year-old, who took the pill on a night out in Fraserburgh, was rushed to hospital after she began hallucinating and suffering heart palpitations.
Her mother spoke out, and shared an image of her curled up in the hospital bed as a warning to other teens that they were “playing with death”.
Now a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has admitted being involved in the supply of the Class A drug.
Sentence was deferred for background reports, and the case will call again at Peterhead Sheriff Court next month.
Last night, the girl’s mother vowed to be in court to see him get punished – and said she was relieved he had pleaded guilty to spare her daughter the ordeal of a trial.
The youngster, who cannot be named, spent a night at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after taking the pill, which was shaped like a blue diamond.
Her frantic dad raised the alarm after discovering a video of his daughter acting in an unusual way on online app Snapchat.
When her mother checked on her, she found her in “distress” and she was taken to Fraserburgh’s A&E department before being transferred to Aberdeen by ambulance.
She has now recovered, and doctors told her she was “lucky” there were no lasting effects.
Her mother said: “I have a mixture of emotions about the whole experience, but maybe common sense or a conscious has kicked in at the end.
“My daughter is progressing fine, but it has been a really difficult thing for her to go through. It’s not what you expect from a 13-year-old.
“It’s definitely made us more wary of letting her out. She’s now got a very strict curfew.
“I would just sincerely hope that this has been a deterrent for her, and that she’ll never touch it again. I also hope it’s a message to the wider community with kids her age that it’s not worth it.”
But she is still at a loss to explain how the teenager came into the possession of the drugs.
“We haven’t heard from his family since this has happened,” she added.
“I think he is maybe just a minion for a more powerful person.
“At the end of the day, there’s a message that needs to go out to kids – don’t do drugs.”
The boy declined to comment about the incident last night.
Figures released last year in the 2016 European Drug Report suggest that ecstasy consumption is on the rise in the UK between 15 to 34 year olds.
Its comeback – popularised by the rave and techno scenes of the 1990s – comes following crackdown on legal highs which were previously sold as alternatives.