Nurse who gave fatal MDMA dose to student avoids jail in Newcastle court
A children’s nurse who supplied MDMA to a fellow Northumbria University student during lockdown—leading to the student’s death—has avoided jail.
George Harle, now 25, gave the drug to 21-year-old Nathaniel Pavlovic in October 2020. Nathan died hours later after taking what turned out to be a 96% pure dose.
Harle admitted supplying the drug and was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Nathan, along with two other students, died in Newcastle that week in suspected drug-related cases. An inquest later ruled that one of the deaths, that of Stephanie Sillifant, was due to natural causes.
The court heard Harle obtained the drugs from dealer Kasam Ali, 34, who has been jailed for three years and seven months for drug offences.
Judge Tim Gittins told Harle he “should have known better” and said both men bore “part” responsibility for Nathan’s death. Nathan’s parents said their son would now be “forever 21”.
