'˜Drugs destroy lives of family and friends'

William Scott was 19 when he passed away after taking what he believed was a legal high he had purchased online in August 2013.

Speaking to the Times, his mother Kirsty said: “Parents need to be more aware of the issue. This could happen to anyone’s child. These drugs can be bought a lot easier than you think.”

William, who had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome eight months prior his death, purchased a product called “Midnight Mash” from a legal high sales website.

Kirsty explained: “The site he purchased the drugs on looked very professional- not an underground operation. This was the second time he had bought the drugs from the site. The first time it cost him £18 and the second time it was £6. It had been charged to William’s account in New Zealand dollars and had come through England. Tests have shown that what William believed was a safe and legal drug, contained a class A amphetamine-type drug, rarely seen in Northern Ireland.”

In the months leading up to his death, William had struggled to come to terms with his diagnosis. He had a lack of confidence, a factor Kirsty believes caused him to take the drugs. She said: “He wasn’t taking them for recreational purposes. He was taking them to get the confidence to be able to leave the house. He took the drug that killed him to get confidence to go shopping.”

Kirsty was on a family holiday in Majorca when she received a call saying William was in hospital.

She said: “When I got to the hospital, William was on a life-support machine. His liver, heart and kidneys were very badly damaged. His organs had been attacked at a very aggressive rate. If he had survived he would have needed a liver transplant.

“People don’t realise how serious they are. I hope that people reading this will think of the consequences and not take these drugs. William’s dad Gordon didn’t get over losing him and he passed away last year. Drugs don’t just destroy the lives of the person who dies. They destroy the lives of the family and friends who are left behind.”