Tragic teen died after taking drug and alcohol cocktail to celebrate his very first wage packet
APPRENTICE BRICKLAYER DIED AT FRIEND’S HOUSE IN VILLAGE
A TEENAGER tragically died after taking a cocktail of alcohol and drugs during a night of partying to celebrate his first wage packet.
Apprentice bricklayer William Foxon, 19, from Scartho, died at a friend’s house in Tetney after taking cocaine and morphine and drinking alcohol.
An inquest heard he and friends, aged 19 - 21, gathered at Lou Thain Trigg’s house on Friday October 23 last year and drank beer, wine and vodka and took cocaine before William decided to stay the night after others left . William and Lou began taking morphine pills at 5am on Saturday, October 24 and they stayed up together until 9am. The morphine had been prescribed to Lou’s stepdad after he hurt his leg. William fell asleep at 11am and woke up at about 3pm, the inquest at the Myle Cross Centre in Lincoln heard.
Friends returned to the house that afternoon and the plan was to watch American sport on television during the evening. Lou said in a statement read to the inquest that at one point all of the friends went into the bedroom where William had slept and found him awake and talking. But Lou discovered William unresponsive when he checked on him at about 10.20pm.
Lou called 999 and attempted CPR before paramedics arrived and tried to resuscitate William, but he was pronounced dead just before 11pm.
“It’s just a waste of an amazing lad,” Lou said. “This was just a mistake.”
Lou said Will had brought half a gram of cocaine with him and other friends had their own supplies.
“We planned to have a few drinks, do some cocaine and play some pool,” he said. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of William’s death as alcohol and drug toxicity.
A Lincolnshire Police report stated that Lou - who had drunk beer and vodka - may have avoided a similar fate because he had been sick several times.
William’s dad David, who had no idea of his son taking drugs, described him as the “family joker” and a typical teenager who would return home in the early hours “drunk and with food”.
He said in a statement read to the court: “He enjoyed going out with his friends.
“He loved music. He was a very happy, daft, loveable teenager.” Coroner Marianne Johnson concluded that William: “died as a result of the abuse of alcohol and drugs”. She said: “On October 23 he attended a party at a friend’s house. “Unfortunately, Will and his friends all took drugs and drank alcohol.
“This young man had the whole of his life ahead of him.
“It was taken away from him in just one night. Will stayed at the house and he and his friend stayed up until 9am on the Saturday and took a quantity of tablets. For a young man of such a young age to die is tragic.”
The coroner extended her sympathies to William’s family and friends.
He loved music. He was a very happy, daft,
loveable teenager
William’s dad,
David
POLICE officers are facing coronavirus being used as a “weapon on the streets” and should therefore be vaccinated as a priority, Humberside’s Police and Crime Commissioner has said.
Keith Hunter said frontline officers had been particularly at risk throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with some facing disgusting acts of spitting while arresting suspects. Mr Hunter said new variants becoming more prevalent across communities could also increase the potential for transmission between officers and other members of staff too. Ultimately, this could lead to the vital work police do to keep the public safe being jeopardised, he said. Earlier this week, it was suggested that once the over 50s have been vaccinated by March or April, the next group could be decided based partly on ethnicity - but not their jobs.
While Mr Hunter conceded he was “no expert” in arguing which groups should receive the vaccine at which stage, he said police officers should have some priority because of their work.
He said: “A number of Police and
Crime Commissioners, including myself, have joined with the Police Federation, the police staff unions and police chiefs to ask for prioritisation of police officers and staff in getting the vaccination.
“I will not say at which level they should be prioritised because I’m no expert in that area but that they shouldn’t have to wait based upon age or underlying health issues.
“This isn’t about special privileges, it is because front line officers and staff face a weaponising of the virus on the streets and also because, especially with the more transmissible variations, there is a risk that the virus could spread amongst officers and staff to the point where vital services keeping the public safe are put at risk.
“It is a safety issue both for the officers and the wider public.”
Ministers have not yet set out how the vaccine will be divvied out among the remaining population.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said early data on vaccines’ effect on transmission is “really encouraging” but more evidence is being awaited.
He said “tens of millions” of coronavirus vaccine doses will be coming in March and April.
I will not say at which level they should be prioritised Keith Hunter