| She said she feared her son would simply become a statistic, as his death was not a great enough deterrent to dissuade others from following a similar self-destructive path. The grandmother said she was angry that despite her son’s death there had been no let-up in heroin abuse in the town, and the same familiar faces were continuing to go about their illicit activities.
The woman said, “I think the police are doing the best they can, but there are so many users there is always somebody willing to fill the business. “Basically, what happened to my son was he came out of prison and ventured back to people he should have stayed away from. He ended up overdosing on valium and heroin.”
The woman said her son’s heroin addiction had stripped him of everything worthwhile in life. She said, “He had the perfect job and the perfect life with a little kid and all the rest of it. When he got into drugs he couldn’t go to work and couldn’t hold down a job and he turned to stealing to get what he needed. It is disgusting for a parent to see. In the beginning we didn’t know what was going on — it’s not unusual for youngsters to ask for money after all — but when he had a good job and was still asking then we were wondering what was going on.
“He lost everything. All I’ve got (left of his possessions) is a drawer of clothes, a pair of trainers and a couple of letters.”
The woman said she believed the courts had to hand down much tougher sentences, starting with a 10-year minimum tariff for dealers.
She said, “I am angry. I don’t feel guilty as a parent because I felt we did everything we could. I just don’t think you can win against this.
“He definitely died in vain because it will happen to others.” |
