‘MY SON’S PRESCRIPTION DRUGS DEATH’
MUM’S HEARTACHE AT SON’S CARDIFF FLATS DEATH AFTER LIFE SPIRALLED OUT OF CONTROL
A MOTHER left heartbroken by the loss of her son has opened up about how she predicted his death.
Marcus Bellamy, 41, and his partner Julie Williams, 42, were found dead at the property they shared in Cardiff on June 24.
An inquest into their deaths was held at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, where the court was told Mr Bellamy was found dead after a neighbour spotted him on a balcony.
Ms Williams was found dead in the living room. As reported in Thursday’s Echo, their bodies were discovered after police gained entry to the property in Heol Trelai, Ely.
At the inquest Coroner Andrew Barkley concluded the deaths of Ms Williams and Mr Bellamy were drug related.
They died in tragic circumstances after taking a cocktail of prescribed medication.
Marcus’s family have now spoken out about the tragic circumstances that led to their son’s life spiralling out of control.
Anita Sammut, 58, said Marcus was a “loving” son but became consumed in a life of alcoholism.
When he was younger, Marcus was described as being very good at football. Ms Sammut, of St Mellons, said there was a time when he could have been scouted for the likes of major teams like Manchester City and Liverpool.
“People who knew Marcus said he would be the next Craig Bellamy,” she said.
“He had such a natural talent.” Marcus grew up surrounded by the love of his grandparents – he was especially close to his grandfather, Paul Sammut.
But when Marcus was only 12 his grandfather died in his arms leaving him devastated.
Ms Sammut said: “My father was such a role model in his life.
“When my father passed away it impacted him throughout his whole life.
“He died in his arms and he could see the blood coming from his nose and mouth.
“He was hysterical.
“It scarred him and I didn’t know how deep it had scarred him. He took it through life.”
Ms Sammut explained her son was around 20 when his life began to change as he started to drink more.
He found himself in and out of prison for offences that Ms Sammut said would be “fuelled by drinking”.
It impacted their relationship, but in 2015 he was released after serving his last sentence that was associated with grievous bodily harm.
Ms Sammut said: “I said to him if you stay on the straight and narrow I will come back into your life.
“I would write letters to him in prison asking him to change.
“He was troubled throughout his adult life.
“He wasn’t an angry person. The next day we would say ‘I’m sorry’ – the drink caused it.”
His father Robert Bellamy, 58, also said he was a different person when he drank alcohol.
Robert, also from Cardiff, said he was closer to his son than anyone as they lived together for around 20 years.
This was before Marcus’s life took a turn for the worse.
He said: “We were father and son but we were also best friends.
“Christmas time we always used to watch the darts together. We would spend all our time together.”
Robert would send Marcus £20 a week when his son was in prison and would also write him letters.
He was only 17 when Ms Sammut
fell pregant with their son, and admitted they had a lot of help from Ms Sammut’s parents.
“We gave him the best we could and Anita’s parents were like parents,” he added.
“He would come and say ‘the way I am is because Grampy died in my arms.’
“When he did drink he was a different person all together.
“We had some fun and we had some arguments.
“He was a character.” Marcus also came to abuse prescribed medication – he took both Pregabalin and Diazepam.
He was prescribed drugs to help him cope with his anxiety but Ms Sammut explained he would abuse them.
She believes a part of his anxiety stemmed from his time in prison as he sometimes talked about the memories he found hard to erase.
She said: “He would say: ‘you don’t understand – I can still hear the keys, I can still hear the doors slamming.’
“He was taking them (the tablets) for years. He wouldn’t go out of the flat because he would get anxiety.”
But for Marcus, going in and out of prison became a routine because he didn’t have anywhere to go.
Ms Sammut added: “It was a persistent thing because people wouldn’t want to open the door to him.
“It was hard but at the time I wouldn’t want him visit my house because I wouldn’t want people here who drink.
“I regret it badly.
“I thought about it all the time – every time there was a helicopter or sirens I would think Marcus is in trouble.
“It was like living on the edge. “When I found out it was like ‘now I predicted this.’
“People used to say I couldn’t say that but, as much as I love my son, I did predict my son’s death.
“When it finally happens it makes it harder because you think ‘oh my gosh’ – you cry, you question everything.
“I did but I have to stop beating myself up because I know I couldn’t have done any more.”
Ms Sammut also claimed her son wasn’t violent all the time.
She’s said when he acted out he was “100% fuelled by alcohol” and wouldn’t know what he was doing. “He was a charmer,” she said. “People loved him because he would walk into a party and he would make the party and light the room up.
“He loved to dance – that was his passion.
“He was the most loving person. He would cry if anyone was hurt.”
When Marcus was released from prison in 2015, Ms Sammut said he showed signs of wanting to better himself.
But she sadly didn’t realise just how much perseverance he’d shown until after his death.
She later found papers in among his possessions that showed signs of him wanting to change.
During his term in jail, he had undertaken some English courses.
“He was taking English courses as he wanted to read and write,” she said.
“He took courses in prison and I didn’t know.
“I couldn’t tell him how I felt – I didn’t have the chance to say ‘well done, Marcus.’”
Ms Sammut says the family has been left devastated by her son’s death but now she wants to show people just what addiction can do to a person’s life.
She wants people to realise it’s important to talk about their feelings.
Marcus was both a father and a grandfather but he never got to meet his grandchildren.
Not because he didn’t want to, but because he was “afraid”.
“He never got around to seeing his grandchildren,” Ms Sammut added.
“He’s seen pictures of them but his emotions took over and said ‘no - I couldn’t.’
“He just didn’t want to hurt them. He was just scared.
“To people who are going through the same emotions I can only hope this helps them.
“I would like to say to anyone who is taking prescription medication along with alcohol to look at what they’re doing.
“There are so many parents who have lost children who feel broken now.
“Addiction is a powerful thing.”