‘I just hope we can save a boy’s life. But it’s too late for my son’
A TEARFUL mother said her life “has stood still” since her son died after taking a deadly new stimulant drug.
David Owens (34), a father of four, was found unconscious outside the Shankill Leisure Centre in Belfast after a weekend of partying.
Speaking outside his inquest his mother, Pearl Owens, said: “Time has stood still for me.
“I just hope it can save some other wee boy's life because it's too late to save my son. She added: “He was gold.” A post-mortem examination found his “collapse and subsequent death was due to the toxic effects of 4,4-Dimethylaminorex and cocaine”.
When Mr Owens was found he had removed some items of his clothing, which the coroner’s court heard was because his body temperature had risen sharply.
Mr Owen’s partner, Janine Bright, told the court that he had been a drug user over the years.
The court heard Mr Owens had promised his nephew, Paul Owens, he would not take drugs.
Paul Owens overheard him on the previous Friday night saying he had 200 Ecstasy tablets.
Paul said: “I didn’t see them that night but I had seen them before. Everyone at the time thought they were Ecstasy.”
Mr Owens told his friend David McClelland he had a couple of hundred tablets of the drugs, which he thought were Ecstasy, but was only going to take 10 on Saturday.
On Saturday afternoon he made arrangements to stay at Mr McClelland’s house where his behaviour became erratic.
Another friend, Jason McCoy, was awoken by the sound of drawers opening and closing.
He went downstairs to find Mr Owens in tears talking about how cats hated him. He went to the leisure centre and was lean- ing over the barriers “screaming and shouting”. When asked if he was ok, he told his friend he had a taxi ordered.
He was found unconscious the next day and died in hospital.