'More people will keep dying': Grieving mum's warning after son, 23, found dead at home

A mum whose son died after buying drugs online has vowed to help prevent other families from suffering similar heartbreak.

Connor Laycock was found dead at his home aged just 23. He had begun using drugs at the age of 15 and had progressed from cannabis to ketamine.

He was able to purchase drugs online via the social networking app Telegram, LancsLive reports. By December last year Connor, from Colne, Lancashire, had managed to cut down his ketamine use from 3.5g a day to 3g a week.

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But he was still buying benzodiazepines - including some not prescribed in the UK - via a contacted called Pills R Us on the dark web via the Telegram messaging app. He died on April 12 this year.

Connor's mum Gemma said that, once she "is ready", she will do whatever she can to ensure no other family goes through the same heartbreak. "People need to be aware that it's so easy to get hold of this stuff online," she told LancsLive after an inquest into her son's death.

"There needs to be more help out there for people who are severely struggling and for them to be able to access it not just weekly but when they need it.

"If things don't get better, and more isn't done to tackle how easy it is to buy drugs online and have them sent to you in the post, then more people will keep dying."

Connor's dad Sean said he was in no doubt that his son had been attempting to "self-medicate" with benzos. However, toxicology tests carried out after Connor's death revealed that what he was buying contained different medications from those he thought he was buying.

"He learned the hard way," Sean added. The inquest into Connor's death, held on Monday at Accrington Town Hall, concluded that although he had a history of mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, he had not intended to end his own life.

Assistant Coroner Laura Fox returned a conclusion of a drug-related death, and said: "Connor Laycock died on April 12, 2024, at his home address, from the fatal effects of multi-drug toxicity."