Teen labelled a fool by magistrate after being caught with drugs at festival

An 18-year-old man from Sydney who was going ‘in and out of consciousness’ has been labelled at fool by a Magistrate for taking drugs at music festival where Alex Ross-King died.

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Magistrate Peter Feather labelled 18-year-old Lachlan Sward a "fool", saying he would spend time in jail if he continued to take party drugs at festivals.

Sward pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous drug after he was caught with one MDMA pill outside FOMO Music Festival on January 4.

At FOMO Alex Ross-King became the fifth person to die from a drug overdose at musical festivals in the past four months.

Magistrate Feather said police were concerned for Sward’s safety, his eyes were rolling in the back of his head as he was escorted out of the festival.

Lachlan Sward

Sward said he didn't remember the incident, he had drunk a lot and taken MDMA pills.

“What a fool, what an absolute fool,” Magistrate Feather said in Parramatta Local Court yesterday.

“You took it, nobody forced you to take it.

“Why did you take it?”

Sward said he was “just trying to have a good time”.

Magistrate Feather said Sward was entitled to have a good time by drinking a “reasonable amount of alcohol” but he had failed to do that.

“You were being escorted out of FOMO Music Festival by police,” Magistrate Feather said.

“Police said you started to slip in and out of consciousness and they were concerned for your welfare.

“Someone died at the festival, a young lady from the Central Coast died at the festival.”

Sward was apologetic at Parramatta Local Court today

Magistrate Feather became more dumbfounded after Sward said he had just turned 18.

“What a great start to your adult life,” Magistrate Feather said sarcastically.

“You wouldn’t walk along the street and take a tablet you found on the ground and that’s effectively what you have done.

“Young people think it is a rite of passage to take drugs at these music festivals.

“Over the last four months there have been (five) people lose their lives at music festivals.

“There is no such thing as recreational drug use, it is a criminal offence and the sooner young people realise that the better.

“Unfortunately you haven’t had your father in your life because he has been incarcerated but if you keep on this path you will have the same future.”

Magistrate Feather became more dumbfounded after Sward said he had just turned 18

Sward was put on a two-year good behaviour bond and no conviction was recorded which would allow him to travel to Canada and teach skiing.

“If you do anything wrong, if I find out you get a parking ticket, I will bring you back before me and re-sentence you for this matter,” Magistrate Feather said.

Originally published as Teen labelled a fool by magistrate after being caught with drugs at festival