Latest news with #IrunePedrayes
Times
10-07-2025
- Health
- Times
Drugs binge at top private school left me psychotic, says ex-pupil
A former pupil of a top private boarding school is suing for £145,000 after claiming she suffered a drug-induced psychotic episode and post-traumatic stress disorder when older pupils supplied her with drugs. Irune Pedrayes, now 19, claims she developed PTSD after older male students at Buckswood School near Hastings, East Sussex, supplied her with mephedrone-laced vape liquid when she was 14. She has claimed the school, which charges up to £34,000 a year and teaches 11 to 19-year-olds, failed in its duty of care after she was 'high all weekend' after consuming drugs and alcohol on the school grounds without intervention. Meghann McTague, representing Pedrayes at the High Court in London, said her client was a 'vulnerable' pupil with additional needs, who should have received better pastoral care. 'The claimant spent that whole weekend — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — consuming a Class B drug that was supplied to her by older boys at the school, and drinking alcohol that was also supplied to her,' the barrister told Judge Geraint Webb KC. 'The drug use took place on the rugby pitch at the school. She was with four other students from the school. Nobody discovered these students. Nobody noticed, despite attending mealtimes and at bedtime, that she was high all weekend.' Pedrayes, who is from Spain, had no prior experience with drugs, the court was told. She was introduced to 'magic' — a vape fluid containing the Class B drug mephedrone — by sixth-form boys who ordered it online and had it delivered to the school, McTague said. She added that 'another pupil had reported' that Pedrayes had been supplied with the drug. Pedrayes was later hospitalised after she suffered an extended 'psychotic outbreak' due to the drugs, with symptoms including hallucinations, anxiety and tearfulness. The teenager's behaviour reportedly deteriorated after the hospitalisation. She was involved in another drug-related incident and withdrew from the school in November 2019. Her parents were unaware of what she had consumed and her breakdown continued for weeks until she left the school to return to Spain. There, she was treated with anti-psychotic medication but was left with PTSD, heightened anxiety and a greater risk of mental health problems in later life, the court heard. Her parents were told 'only that she had used a vape and that she was going to be given a smoker's reform sanction', said McTague. She added: 'Her psychosis was left untreated until she was later threatened with expulsion by the school and returned to Spain.' McTague said the school's pastoral system was inadequate and contributed to her client's long-term psychological harm. She pointed to a 2019 Ofsted report that highlighted 'recent concerns about students using drugs' at the school. 'The claimant submits that this was far from a 'one-off' isolated incident,' she said. 'Older students were having drugs delivered to the school and were able to use them in groups on the school premises with younger children. There was an endemic problem of substance abuse and a culture of tolerance.' The school accepted that Pedrayes experienced a psychotic episode as a result of the incident but denied liability. Lawyers for the school argued that anti-drug policies were in place and enforced, and that the institution took drug use seriously. Nigel Edwards, representing Buckswood School, said the school denied breaching the duty of care owed to Pedrayes and that she had been made aware of the school's ban on drugs and alcohol. 'The defendant avers that it complied with its obligations and put in place risk assessments, systems and rules to educate, discourage and try to prevent pupils accessing drugs,' he said. 'Staff were available night and day within the boarding house. School rules were in place expressly prohibiting illicit drugs.' Edwards added that staff 'could and did' search pupils and their rooms as part of the school's behaviour policy. 'The seriousness with which the school approached illicit drugs can be demonstrated by the willingness of the school to contact the local police about drugs issues, test and suspend pupils found to have taken drugs and bring in dog teams to check the premises,' he said. Part of Pedrayes' case is that there were 'clear safeguarding risks' relating to her, including 'impulsive and negative behaviour', but that she had been instead treated by the school simply as a 'badly behaved child'. However, Kevin Samson, principal of Buckswood School, told the court that there was no evidence that Pedrayes was a 'cause for concern' regarding drugs or vaping and there was adequate supervision in place for pupils. He said the school did not tell the parents about the incident because a urine test produced a negative result. 'It's not realistic to have a member of staff next to every child 24 hours a day,' he added. The court also heard that Pedrayes suffered with 'psychological problems' while living in Spain and had failed a year at school before moving to the UK. Following a two-day trial, Judge Webb reserved his decision on the case until a later date.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Girl sues boarding school for £145,000 after drug binge ‘left her with PTSD'
A teenage girl left with PTSD after she ended up 'high all weekend' when given drugs by sixth-form boys at a private boarding school is suing for £145,000 in compensation. Irune Pedrayes was only 14 and in her first weeks at the £34,000-a-year Buckswood School, near Hastings, East Sussex, when she was supplied with mephedrone-laced vape liquid by senior boys at her school. She claims it led to a weekend of drug use, with Miss Pedrayes, now 19, saying she spent Friday to Sunday vaping the Class B drug and drinking alcohol with others on the school's rugby pitch. But the apparent binge landed her in hospital after she suffered an extended 'psychotic outbreak' due to her intake, including symptoms of hallucinations and anxiety. Her parents were not told and the breakdown continued for weeks until she left the school to return to her native Spain, where she finally received anti-psychotic medication treatment. Now an adult, she is suing the school for £145,000 in compensation at the High Court, claiming its failure to properly supervise pupils led to her drug use and resulting psychotic breakdown and PTSD. Her lawyers say Miss Pedrayes was a "vulnerable" pupil with additional needs who should have been supported better, while adequate supervision of its pupils would have meant the three-day binge did not happen. Prior to moving to the school from Spain, she had never used drugs and it was only when she arrived at Buckswood that she succumbed to the "easy access" there, they say. However, the school - which caters for children aged 11-19 and calls itself a "global school in the heart of the British countryside" and claims in promotional materials to offer a "safe, supportive and family-like atmosphere" - denies liability for her psychiatric conditions, claiming robust anti-drug policies were in place. Sitting at the High Court in London, Judge Geraint Webb KC was told that Miss Pedrayes had suffered with "psychological problems" while in Spain, where she failed a year at school before moving to the UK. But her behaviour when she moved to Buckswood was challenging, with repeated detentions, before being "gated" - confined to school grounds at weekend - at the time of the drug incident. Her barrister, Meghann (CORR) McTague, said that, during a weekend in September 2019, Miss Pedrayes had been supplied with 'magic', a vape liquid containing the Class B drug mephedrone, which also goes under the street names "meow-meow' or 'm-cat', by upper sixth boys. "The claimant spent that whole weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - consuming a Class B drug that was supplied to her by older boys at the school, and drinking alcohol that was also supplied to her," she said. "This drug use took place on the rugby pitch at the school. She was with four other students from the school. Nobody discovered those students. "Nobody noticed, despite attending mealtimes and at bedtime, that she was high all weekend." The school accepts that, due to her drug intake, Miss Pedrayes suffered a "psychotic" incident, which led to her being taken to hospital on the Monday. She complained of visual hallucinations, sensations of deja vu, tearfulness and anxiety, but went back to the school without her parents being informed of the drug use. After that, her behaviour continued to deteriorate, including a further incident of drug use, before she left the school in November 2019. Back in Spain, she finally received treatment for her psychosis, but has been left with PTSD, heightened anxiety and a greater risk going forward of mental health problems. Her barrister, Ms McTague, said the school was at fault for what happened, because a 14-year-old child should not be able to take drugs on school grounds for three days without being seen. "Prior to her attendance at the school, she had never taken drugs - it was the school which provided her with 'easy access' to drugs," she told the judge. "Whilst she was under Buckswood's care, she was able to consume drugs and alcohol with other children, as well as boys aged between 17 and 19 in the sixth form, on the school premises. "It is Miss Pedrayes' evidence that there was 'easy access' to drugs at the school and that 'surveillance varied in terms of strictness'. "In her estimation, the use of drugs at the school was not something that was 'very important' to the school." She said the school should have been well aware of what happened, because another pupil had reported how Miss Pedrayes had been supplied with 'magic' by sixth formers who bought it online and had it delivered to the school itself. There had been a "total failure of supervision" by the school, because boys had been able to get the drugs in and then the students had been able to take them "in plain sight." "My client's position is she was able to take drugs on the rugby pitch over the course of the weekend and as a result she was high much of that weekend," she said. "The students should have been supervised by the boarding house staff. If they had been supervised properly, this never would have happened." She continued: "Miss Pedrayes' parents were never told by the school that she had been hospitalised as a result of consuming a Class B drug supplied to her by another pupil, nor that she was suffering psychiatric symptoms as a result. "Instead, her parents were told only that she had used a vape and that she was going to be given a smoker's reform sanction." She added: "Her psychosis was left untreated until she was later threatened with expulsion by the school and returned to Spain." Ms McTague said the school had previous problems with drug use, with a January 2019 Ofsted report mentioning "recent concerns about students using drugs." "The claimant submits that this was far from a 'one-off' isolated incident," she told the judge. "Older students were having drugs delivered to the school and were able to use them in groups on the school premises with younger children. "There was an endemic problem of substance abuse and a culture of tolerance." For the school, barrister Nigel Edwards told the judge that it denies breaching the duty of care owed to Miss Pedrayes, pointing out that she had been made aware of the school's ban on drugs and alcohol. "The defendant avers that it complied with its obligations and put in place risk assessments, systems and rules to educate, discourage and try to prevent pupils accessing drugs," he said. "Staff were available night and day within the boarding house. School rules were in place expressly prohibiting illicit drugs. "There was a behaviour policy in place. Staff could and did search pupils' rooms. Staff could and did search pupils. "The seriousness with which the school approached illicit drugs can be demonstrated by the willingness of the school to contact the local police about drugs issues, test and suspend pupils found to have taken drugs and bring in dog teams to check the premises. "The school had in place a reasonably adequate system of is for the claimant to establish that the supervision provided fell below the reasonable standard." Part of Miss Pedrayes' case is that there were "clear safeguarding risks" relating to her, including "impulsive and negative behaviour," but that she had been instead treated by the school simply as a "badly behaved child." However, giving evidence, the school's principal, Kevin Samson, told the judge there was no evidence before the incident that Miss Pedrayes was "a cause for concern regarding vaping, smoking or drinking." He said the school had not told her parents about the incident after it happened because she had taken a urine test, which produced a negative result. Continuing, he said he doubted that the drug use could have really happened on the rugby pitch, which is in plain sight, or whether Miss Pedrayes had really consumed drugs all weekend, as she claims. He also insisted that adequate supervision was in place for pupils, adding: "It's not realistic to have a member of staff next to every child 24 hours a day." Following a two-day trial, Judge Webb reserved his decision on the case until a later date.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Teenage girl sues £34k-a-year private school after 'drug-laced vape' given to her by older boys left her 'high all weekend' and suffering from PTSD
A teenage girl is suing her former private school for allegedly failing in its duty of care after she was left with PTSD following a weekend of drinking and smoking a vape laced with a powerful synthetic drug. Irune Pedrayes was only 14 and in her first weeks at the £34,000-a-year Buckswood School when she was supplied with vape liquid containing the stimulant mephedrone by senior boys at her school. Miss Pedrayes, now 19, claims she spent a weekend vaping the Class B controlled substance and drinking with others on the rugby pitch at the school, which is near Hastings in East Sussex. But the binge landed her in hospital after she suffered an extended 'psychotic outbreak' for which she blames the school's alleged lack of safeguarding - a claim denied by its lawyers. Her parents were not told and the breakdown continued for weeks until she left the school to return to her native Spain, where she received antipsychotic medication. She is now suing the school for £145,000 in compensation at the High Court, claiming its failure to properly supervise pupils led to her drug use and resulting psychotic breakdown and PTSD. Miss Pedrayes' lawyers say she was a 'vulnerable' pupil with additional needs who should have been supported better, while adequate supervision of its pupils would have meant the three-day binge did not happen. Prior to moving to the school from Spain, she had never used drugs and it was only when she arrived at Buckswood that she succumbed because of the 'easy access' to illicit substances there, they say. However, the school - which caters for children aged 11-19 and calls itself a 'global school in the heart of the British countryside' with a 'safe, supportive and family-like atmosphere' - denies liability for her psychiatric conditions. Lawyers for Buckswood say robust anti-drug policies were in place. The school's behaviour policy states that pupils face exclusion if caught with drugs. Sitting at the High Court in London, Judge Geraint Webb KC was told that Miss Pedrayes had suffered with 'psychological problems' while in Spain, where she failed a year at school before moving to the UK. But her behaviour when she moved to Buckswood was challenging, with repeated detentions, before being 'gated' - confined to school grounds at weekend - at the time of the drug incident. Her barrister Meghann McTague said the pupil was given 'magic', a vape liquid containing mephedrone, by upper sixth boys in September 2019. The other students had allegedly ordered it online - delivered directly to the school. The drug - known by the street names 'meow-meow', bubble and 'm-cat' - conjures feelings of euphoria and alertness, but can also cause anxiety and heart palpitations. 'The claimant spent that whole weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - consuming a Class B drug that was supplied to her by older boys at the school, and drinking alcohol that was also supplied to her,' Ms McTague said. 'This drug use took place on the rugby pitch at the school. She was with four other students from the school. Nobody discovered those students. 'Nobody noticed, despite attending mealtimes and at bedtime, that she was high all weekend.' The school accepts that Miss Pedrayes suffered a 'psychotic' incident as a result of her drug use, which led to her being taken to hospital. She complained of visual hallucinations, deja vu, tearfulness and anxiety, but went back to school without her parents being informed. Instead, they were told she had been caught with a vape, Ms McTague told the court. Her behaviour deteriorated, with a further incident of drug use, and she left Buckswood in November, returning to Spain where she received psychiatric treatment. She continues to deal with PTSD and anxiety. Ms McTague said the school was at fault because a 14-year-old should not be able to take drugs on school grounds for three days without being seen. 'Whilst she was under Buckswood's care, she was able to consume drugs and alcohol with other children, as well as boys aged between 17 and 19 in the sixth form, on the school premises,' she added. 'It is Miss Pedrayes' evidence that there was "easy access" to drugs at the school and that 'surveillance varied in terms of strictness'. 'In her estimation, the use of drugs at the school was not something that was "very important" to the school.' She accused the school of a 'total failure of supervision', adding: 'The students should have been supervised by the boarding house staff. If they had been supervised properly, this never would have happened.' A 2019 Ofsted inspection report mentioned 'recent concerns about students using drugs'. The school is now assessed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which said in 2023 that safeguarding measures had been 'strengthened'. 'The claimant submits that this was far from a 'one-off' isolated incident,' she told the judge. 'Older students were having drugs delivered to the school and were able to use them in groups on the school premises with younger children. 'There was an endemic problem of substance abuse and a culture of tolerance.' Barrister Nigel Edwards, for Buckswood, told the judge that the school denies breaching the duty of care owed to Miss Pedrayes, pointing out that she had been made aware of the school's ban on drugs and alcohol. 'The defendant avers that it complied with its obligations and put in place risk assessments, systems and rules to educate, discourage and try to prevent pupils accessing drugs,' he said. 'Staff were available night and day within the boarding house. School rules were in place expressly prohibiting illicit drugs. 'There was a behaviour policy in place. Staff could and did search pupils' rooms. Staff could and did search pupils.' He added that the school would speak to the police about drug issues in the school, suspend pupils who used drugs and bring in sniffer dogs to check for drugs. He concluded: 'The school had in place a reasonably adequate system of is for the claimant to establish that the supervision provided fell below the reasonable standard.' Part of Miss Pedrayes' case is that there were 'clear safeguarding risks' relating to her, including 'impulsive and negative behaviour,' but that she had been instead treated by the school simply as a 'badly behaved child.' But the school's principal, Kevin Samson, told the judge there was no evidence before the incident that Miss Pedrayes was 'a cause for concern regarding vaping, smoking or drinking.' He said the school had not told her parents about the incident after it happened because she had taken a urine test, which produced a negative result. Continuing, he said he doubted that the drug use could have really happened on the rugby pitch, which is in plain sight, or whether Miss Pedrayes had really consumed drugs all weekend, as she claims. He also insisted that adequate supervision was in place for pupils, adding: 'It's not realistic to have a member of staff next to every child 24 hours a day.' Following a two-day trial, Judge Webb reserved his decision on the case until a later date.
