A CORONER has warned about the perils of taking ecstasy after a promising university student was killed by the drug.

Daniel Harmison, a marine engineering student at Newcastle University, was found dead in his flat in the city in November.

The 19-year-old, from Hartlepool, had been out drinking with his friends on the evening before his death.

He returned home with fellow student Jonathan Great-rex and took ecstasy pills.

The next evening, he was found dead. Pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton said he died from the effects of the drug.

Mr Greatrex, 21, told a Newcastle inquest that Daniel may have had more than one pill the night before he died, but that he could not say how many.

The next day, fellow student Stuart Kissen found Daniel's body when he went to check on him.

At the inquest, Coroner David Mitford recorded a verdict of death as a result of abuse of drugs.

He said: "If there is any good to come out of this at all, it is that something like this should not happen to other people.

"I hope this message gets out to more young people who are prepared to experiment with these things."

After the hearing, Daniel's father, Barry, of Hartlepool, said: "I had no idea he was taking drugs.

"It has been a shock to find out that he was."

A Newcastle University spokesman said: "We go to great lengths to discourage drug use, but we cannot prevent it completely.

"Students know that our disciplinary code states that anyone found in possession could be expelled."

Tom Kyle, of Newcastle's Drug Action Team, said the most recent figures showed there were 13 drug-related deaths in the city in 2003.