Drugs and mental issues turned boy who loved football into brutal killer

AS a young boy Matthew Williams loved playing and watching football and was a member of a swimming team.

The eldest of four brothers, he was cheeky and had lots of friends but things started to go wrong at an early age.

Drugs, mental health problems and law-breaking characterised Williams’ teenage years and featured throughout his life until it spiralled to its bloody end at the age of 34 on November 6, 2014.

According to health records, Williams, from Blackwood, Caerphilly, started taking drugs aged nine and was expelled from school at 13 for fighting.

His mother, Sally Ann, who gave evidence at Gwent Coroner’s Court during the inquest into the two deaths, said “things started to go wrong” for her son when he lost interest in sport aged 14 or 15 and “got into the wrong crowd”.

Williams was first sent to a young offender institute aged 15.

After his release, “he was stealing in order to get money to buy drugs,” his mother said in her inquest statement.

At about the same time, Williams started to become paranoid, throwing away food that had been cooked for him claiming it was poisoned. On another occasion, he claimed he was turning into a tree and that his skin was turning into bark.

A Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW) report into the deaths showed Williams’ first referrals to mental health services were in 1997 when he was twice admitted to the Ty Sirhowy Acute Mental Health Inpatient Unit in Blackwood.

Mrs Williams said he was prescribed medication and attended mental health appointments, but also took controlled drugs.

Williams, who worked as a labourer and in a factory, was sectioned in 2004 and diagnosed with schizophrenia, although the diagnosis was subsequently questioned and the HIW report concluded that it was “more likely that he was experiencing druginduced psychotic episodes”.

Mrs Williams said his life stabilised when he met his ex-partner, with whom he had a son, but deteriorated again when the relationship broke down about three years before his death.

Williams’ final, 27-month sentence for blackmail was served at HMP Cardiff and Parc, where he worked as a cleaner and prison barber. He served the whole sentence, meaning when he was released, he wasn’t subject to any supervision.