HEROIN DID NOT KILL MY SON
Mum’s anguish after he was branded a ‘junkie’
THE mum of a man whose death was initially thought to be drugrelated has spoken out for the first time after it emerged deadly heroin didn’t kill him.
David Mason, 27, was found dead at his home in Blyth, Northumberland, in January of this year.
The following day, police were called to another house in the seaside town where the body of a 35-year-old man was found.
It sparked fears a deadly batch of heroin was plaguing Blyth, which was once labelled the drug capital of the UK.
But it has since emerged dad-oftwo David died of bronchial pneumonia – NOT heroin.
Now, his heartbroken mum wants to set the record straight and let the world know her son – dad to Riley, five and four-year-old Mia – was not an addict.
Diane Horseman, also from Blyth, said: “When it happened the police asked us if we’d be OK with them putting something out about the death possibly involving heroin and we said yes.
“There was a lot of stuff on Facebook about ‘junkies dropping dead’ and even though we’d expected it, it still hurt.
“We want to set the record straight so we can honour his memory. My son did not die because of heroin. He died because of bronchial pneumonia. It’s a silent killer that is often misdiagnosed. I want David’s name cleared.
“I want his kids to grow up and know the truth about their dad.”
The 58-year-old added: “David was a caring son and brother and a loving father. His kids idolised him. He’d dabbled in the past but was trying to get onto the straight and narrow.”
For years, Blyth was dubbed the drugs capital of the UK after a number of young people lost their lives after becoming hooked on heroin.
The seaside town put the tragedies of the 1990s behind it after police, parents and councillors helped rid the streets of the deadly dealers.
Diane was at work in Wilko in Cramlington on January 31 when an unknown number rang her phone.
She said: “It was a Tuesday about 1.30pm and a number I didn’t recognise popped up. It was the police. They turned up at work straight away and told me.
“I went home and couldn’t accept it, I couldn’t believe it was David. It was heart-wrenching. It’s all a blur now.”
David, Diane’s youngest child, was brother to Peter, 38, Claire, 35, Victoria, 32 and 22-year-old Sophie.
He was also uncle to Allanah, six, Joshua, two and Lilly, one.
Diane said: “He was the baby of the family. He was so close to his nieces and nephews.
“Riley and Mia have been brilliant. They understand he is watching them every day. They always say, ‘Dad is an angel in the sky.’
“I still cannot come to terms with it. Losing a son is horrendous. And it started all over again when we got the death certificate; we feel like we’re back at the beginning.”