Tragedy of ex-Scotland football starlet, dead at 33 from ‘drug overdose’
A FORMER football starlet who played for Scotland has been found dead from a suspected drug overdose at the age of 33.
Andrew Shaw, who played for Hearts and represented his country at youth level, was found in a flat in Perth earlier this week.
He had recently been released early from Perth Prison after completing half a two-year sentence imposed in respect of a drug-fuelled crimewave.
Shaw dropped out of football after failing to make the senior grade and then joined the Army, seeing frontline action in Afghanistan.
After quitting the military, he returned to Perth and began to dabble with drugs, before turning to crime to fund his habit.
He told the city’s sheriff court he believed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his military service.
A former friend said: ‘Andy had been a really talented footballer when he was at school and he hoped to make a career of it.
‘Unfortunately that never happened for him and that was really when he started going off the rails. He then joined the Army and served abroad.
‘I think that is when he started getting into drugs, and his habit just spiralled completely out of control when he came back to Perth.’
The former friend added: ‘He became a bit of rogue but when he wasn’t on the drugs he was fine – just a normal guy.
‘I think his life started falling apart when his dream of being a footballer vanished.’
In August last year, Shaw was jailed for two years after committing 18 offences during a three-year long drug-fuelled crimewave.
He had been granted bail on ten previous occasions during the crime spree before Sheriff William Wood finally ran out of patience and sentenced him to serve a lengthy spell behind bars.
Shaw admitted 18 separate offences dating back to November 2016, when he stole a charity box from a branch of Greggs in Perth.
For three years, he had been breaking into cars and stealing items including cash, a satnav and an accordion. He used a stolen debit card to try to buy tobacco. On
‘His habit spiralled out of contol’
another occasion he was caught with cannabis, as his crime spree continued throughout 2018.
On June 20 last year, he was abusive towards housing staff, shouting, swearing and threatening them.
By the time he committed his final offence on July 4, 2019, he was subject to ten individual bail orders which had been imposed in July, September and November 2017, January, August, and October 2018, and April and June.
On July 4 last year, he behaved in a threatening and abusive manner at Perth Royal Infirmary by repeatedly shouting and swearing at police officers.
Solicitor David Holmes said: ‘Drugs have been the root of his problems.
He had been in the Army and had some mental health issues on his discharge, but that was some time ago.
‘He has had a multitude of arrests for theft. He is often arrested under the influence of drugs.’
The court also heard that Shaw had completed a Scottish Football Association coaching course while being held on remand in prison.
In a previous driving incident, he told police who came to help him at a roadside that he was struggling with a sore foot.
When they i nvestigated, they discovered illicit drugs stuffed into his sock.