A headteacher has led tributes to a Croydon schoolboy who died following an "illegal rave" yesterday after police made two arrests in connection to his death.

Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, aged 16, died yesterday afternoon after being taken ill at the party in Hayes, Hillingdon, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police today arrested two men, aged 18 and 19 and both from Croydon, on suspicion of supplying a controlled substance.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers and London Ambulance Service had attended an "illegal rave" at an industrial site in Pump Lane, Silverdale Road, at 4am on Saturday after receiving reports of an unconscious 16-year-old boy.

He was taken to a west London hospital believed to suffering from a drug overdose.

Daniel, a student at Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School, was later transferred to second hospital in central London, where he lost his battle for life at lunchtime yesterday.

A post-mortem examination has not yet been held. 

Richard Parrish, the school's headteacher, led tributes to the 16-year-old today, saying "the world is the poorer without with him".

He said: "Sometimes you hope that the worst thing won’t happen. Sometimes it does happen anyway. And yesterday it did.

"We began Monday knowing that Daniel Spargo-Mabbs, one of our Year 12 students, who has been with us in the school since Year 7, was in a critical condition on a life support machine. At lunch-time he died. 

"In the afternoon we spoke to each year group in turn, starting with his own, to tell them the terrible news.

"Today we begin again, knowing that our school and the world is the poorer without him.

"Today is too soon to do anything more than react to the brutal fact that we have lost Daniel." 

He added: "Our heart goes out to Daniel’s family, to his parents, to his brother Jacob, who did his A-levels here last summer, and to his closest friends.

"To them we want to say the same as we are saying to ourselves: that what has happened to Daniel is not normal.

"It is not normal that a bright, articulate, talented 16 year-old should be taken from us in this way.

"It is not normal that his school and, above all, his family should be grieving today for his loss to us. It is not normal that his year group and his friends should have to learn so soon in life how short that life can be.

"We cannot take in what has happened, but what we can do is to find a stubborn, quiet normality.  Our school day goes on. We grieve together  – and we teach and we learn together."

The school cancelled sixth-form lessons yesterday after news of Daniel's death broke and a room, staffed by the school's assistant chaplain, has been designated for pupils to grieve.

Did you know Daniel? Call the newsdesk on 0208 722 6351 or email chris.baynes@london.newsquest.co.uk.

 

TODAY'S TOP CROYDON STORIES