A LONDON CORONER ON FRIDAY TOLD SHOPKEEPERS AND

A LONDON CORONER ON FRIDAY TOLD SHOPKEEPERS AND

PARENTS THEY WERE THE FRONT LINE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SOLVENT ABUSE.

SOUTHWARK CORONER SIR MONTAGUE LEVINE MADE HIS COMMENTS

AFTER HEARING HOW A 15 YEAR OLD BOY HALLUCINATED AND THEN DIED AFTER

SNIFFING LIGHTER GAS.

RECORDING A VERDICT OF MISADVENTURE ON JOHN MACLEOD SIR

MONTAGUE SAID: ‘IT IS NO OFFENCE TO BUY BUTANE.

A BOY OF TEN COULD

EASILY GET SOME.

IT WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ENFORCE

LEGISLATION PREVENTING YOUNGSTERS FROM BUYING IT AND ALL WE CAN DO IS

WARN ALL STORES CONCERNED.

‘THE MAXIMUM VIGILANCE SHOULD BE ENFORCED BY THE SHOPS’.

HE ADDED: ‘I HOPE ALL PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN ARE TAKING

BUTANE WILL USE ALL POSSIBLE MEANS TO CONTACT THE AUTHORITES AND GET

MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SURVEILLANCE.

‘

SCHOOLBOY JOHN, OF THE VILLAGE, CHARLTON, DIED AFTER SUCKING

THE GAS FROM A CAN OF LIGHTER FUEL ON PLUMSTEAD COMMON.

AND BUTANE HAS VIRTUALLY REPLACED GLUE SNIFFING AS THE

FAVOURITE TEENAGE KICK BECAUSE IT IS SO EASY TO BUY, DETECTIVE

SERGEANT KEITH SNOW TOLD THE COURT.

SERGEANT SNOW SAID THE LARGER HIGH STREET STORES NOW HAVE A

SENSIBLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE SALE OF SOLVENTS TO CHILDREN, BUT

SMALLER SHOP KEEPERS FREQUENTLY SLIP THROUGH THE NET.

‘SCHOOLS ARE VISITED REGULARLY BY OFFICERS FROM THE YOUTH

AND COMMUNITY SECTION WHO TRY TO EDUCATE CHILDREN AWAY FROM

SOLVENTS,’ HE CONTINUED.

‘GLUE SNIFFING HAS ALMOST DIED OUT – NOW

KIDS ARE USING BUTANE, SNIFFING AEROSOLS, DEODORANTS AND THE LIKE’.

A FRIEND OF THE DEAD BOY, 14 YEAR OLD MATTHEW FIGES (COR),

SAID THEY WENT TOGETHER TO A ‘PAKISTANI SHOP CALLED JAZ’ ON THE EDGE

OF THE COMMON ON APRIL 26 WHERE JOHN BOUGHT THE TIN OF LIGHTER FUEL.

‘HE TOOK THE CAP OFF THE GAS, PUT THE NOZZLE INTO HIS MOUTH

AND TOOK THE GAS FOR ABOUT A MINUTE.

‘, HE TOLD THE INQUEST.

‘I CLEARLY HEARD GAS ESCAPING FROM THE TIN.

HE SUDDENLY GOT

UP AND STARTED RUNNING REALLY FAST.

HE WAS LOOKING AROUND HIM SAYING

HE HAD SEEN A COBRA’, ADDED MATTHEW.

HIS FRIEND THEN COLLAPSED AND BEGAN TO TURN BLUE IN THE

FACE.

MATTHEW CALLED AN AMBULANCE BUT JOHN WAS DEAD ON ARRIVAL AT THE

BROOK HOSPITAL IN GREENWICH.

MF

CENTRAL/BUTANE.

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MATTHEW SAID HE HAD NOT HAD ANY GAS HIMSELF.

‘I NEVER TOUCH

THE STUFF.

BUT I HAD SEEN JOHN TAKING IT ONCE OR TWICE BEFORE.

QUITE

A LOT OF MY FRIENDS DO, TOO’, HE ADDED.

DETECTIVE SERGEANT SNOW SAID THAT SINCE JOHN’S DEATH POLICE

NOW REGULARLY PATROL PLUMSTEAD COMMON – A ‘FAVOURITE HAUNT’ OF

SOLVENT SNIFFERS.

JOHN’S MOTHER, ANNE MACLEOD, TOLD THE HEARING OF HER

DESPERATE ATTEMPTS TO STOP HER SON’S HABIT.

SHE FIRST FOUND OUT ABOUT IT AT CHRISTMAS WHEN A LARGE GROUP

OF CHILDREN WERE FOUND SNIFFING GAS AT THEIR SCHOOL AT WOOLWICH

POLYTECHNIC.

SHE SAID: ‘I WENT TO THE SOCIAL SERVICES AND ASKED FOR

ADVICE.

I ALSO HAVE A YOUNGER SON WHO IS INVOLVED WITH IT AS WELL.

BOTH MY SONS PROMISED ME FAITHFULLY THEY WOULD NEVER DO IT AGAIN ONCE

THEY WERE CAUGHT.

‘I ALSO CONTACTED ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS SO WE COULD KEEP

IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER AND STOP THE KIDS DOING IT.

‘

SHE ADDED: ‘IN MARCH THIS YEAR I CONTACTED ALAN BILLINGTON

OF THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST SOLVENT ABUSE.

‘I HAD TO GO BY THE BOYS’ ATTITUDE TO TELL IF THEY WERE

SNIFFING – IT CHANGED BOTH THEIR PERSONALITIES COMPLETELY’.

SIR MONTAGUE TOLD THE INQUEST: ‘WHAT A TRAGEDY THAT A

BOY SHOULD LOSE HIS LIFE, AGED 15, FOR NO OTHER REASON AT ALL THAN

THIS DETESTABLE AND ABOMINABLE HABIT OF DABBLING IN SOLVENTS – A NEW

FORM OF ABUSE.

‘I’VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE ABUSE OF GLUE AND SUBSTANCES LIKE

THAT HAS DECREASED, BUT WHILE IT HAS DECREASED SO THE USE OF BUTANE

HAS GONE UP.

BOYS BUY THESE TINS AND CONGREGATE IN ODD PLACES,

PUTTING A NOZZLE IN A MOUTH OR NOSE AND INHALING IT’.

HE ADDED: ‘ALL OF THEM UNDERGO PERSONALITY CHANGES.

THESE

CHILDREN ENTER A TWILIGHT WORLD OF THEIR OWN.

ALL THE AUTHORITIES TRY

THEIR BEST TO ERADICATE THE HABIT AND THIS BOY’S MOTHER EVEN TRIED

TO GET A GROUP TOGETHER BETWEEN THE PARENTS.

‘IT IS AN INSIDIOUS, HORRIBLE PROBLEM.

THIS BOY HAD

OBVIOUSLY INHALED A LARGE AMOUNT OF BUTANE.

HE STARTED TO RUN BECAUSE

AT THAT TIME HIS BRAIN WAS FUDDLED.

HE HAD BEEN TRANSPORTED INTO

ANOTHER WORLD’.

AND SIR MONTAGUE WARNED SHOPKEEPERS: ‘IF A BOY OF TEN SHOULD

TRY AND BUY BUTANE HE SHOULD INSTANLY BE REFUSED.

THIS BOY WHO DIED

WAS OLDER AND NO DOUBT LOOKED MATURE, BUT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNED

AWAY’.

ENDS

CENTRAL NEWS, 33 GOODGE ST, 323 2899

ADD BUTANE.

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