Find lad who gave me life

A REFORMED drug addict has launched an appeal to find the schoolboy who helped him turn his life around by handing over £2.50 in pocket money.

Ben Hornsby, 36, was living on the streets and begging to fund his £50-a-day heroin habit. He had just come out of a three-year jail stretch for drug dealing and handling stolen goods.

But Ben said his life changed in 2015 when a schoolboy gave him a bottle of water and £2.50 in Banbury, Oxon. The next day he went to a drug detox centre and then a rehab programme. He is now a motivational speaker, right, and fitness trainer.

Ben, who lives in Portsmouth, said: “It would be nice to say this is what you did for me. If he hadn’t come that day, I would still be sat there now or dead. “All I know is that he was dark-haired and about 11 years old. I just thought: ‘Wow, I can’t do this any more. I can’t live this life any longer.’”