THE father of a York teenager who died after collapsing at an organised rave in Doncaster told an inquest he had no reason to suspect his son had been taking drugs.

Adam Christopher Lowry, of Eastfield Lane, Dunnington, was attending an event at the Doncaster Dome when he collapsed in the early hours of Sunday and staff gave him first aid.

An ambulance was called at 3.50am and the 17-year-old was taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary, but he never regained consciousness.

It was initially thought that the youngster would recover, but his life support machine was switched off on Wednesday.

A post mortem examination proved inconclusive, and South Yorkshire Police are awaiting the results of further tests to establish how the youngster died.

Opening an inquest yesterday afternoon, the Doncaster Coroner, Stanley Hooper, asked Adam's father, Michael Lowry, if he had known or had any reason to suspect his son used unlawful drugs.

Mr Lowry replied: "No. Not really."

He said of his son: "He was not one of those yobbish lads who duck and dive around street corners. He was very pleasant to everybody."

Adam, an A-Level student who was born in Surrey in December 1986, spent last Saturday with his mother, Della.

She told the coroner that she dropped him off at York Railway Station later that day so he could catch the train to Doncaster with two friends from the York area.

When the couple were woken early on Sunday morning with news of Adam's collapse, they rushed to his bedside.

Mrs Lowry said: "I was with Adam from the moment he was in hospital until the end."

Mr Lowry, who last saw Adam before he went to work on Friday, was also at the hospital, but was not with his son when he passed away.

The coroner extended his deepest sympathy to the family and said: "I realise this must be a dreadful, dreadful shock for you."

The inquest was adjourned to await the results of toxicology tests and further medical reports. The coroner agreed to release Adam's body for cremation.

Updated: 10:21 Friday, July 23, 2004