An inquest heard that a 13-year-old bullied child who was “groomed” into selling drugs at his school by a county lines gang passed away from an ecstasy overdose.
Mehmet Altun from Bournemouth, Dorset, wanted to walk away from the group that had “groomed” him because he was “fearful” of them.
His parents made a valiant effort to keep him away from the drug culture by forbidding him from going out alone during the summer vacation.
But the adolescent started emailing a drug dealer he had found on social media who was willing to give him ecstasy.
Mehmet took the tablets and then fled home in a frantic condition after persuading his mother to let him ride his bike.
Before the kid had a seizure and died from cardiac arrest, he started to vomit, sweat, and his eyes rolled back.
Paramedics soon came to do CPR after his anxious relatives frantically phoned for an ambulance.
On August 19 of last year, he was sent to the hospital but unfortunately passed away later that day in Poole Hospital.
According to the findings of the post-mortem, he overdosed on MDMA.
A 14-year-old child was detained after his death on suspicion of distributing narcotics, and authorities are currently looking into him.
Prior to starting to be bullied, Mehmet had a typical upbringing, according to the testimony given at his inquest yesterday at Dorset Coroners Court in Bournemouth.
Then a group “groomed and persuaded” him into selling narcotics. Mehmet bringing a knife to class prompted the involvement of social services and police.
Before being sent to a school for problematic kids, he was expelled and went without school for a month.
The boy became more reclusive and distant from his family in the months leading up to his death, the inquest heard.
Aynyr Altun, his distraught mother, said that she was hesitant to allow her son to leave the home.
I never trusted him when he wanted to go out by himself, she remarked. I understood he had to go. Until the last month, I didn’t allow him leave the house.
‘He told the social workers I didn’t trust him, so I attempted to donate some because of that,’ Even though I was constantly observing him, I was unaware of what was happening.
Mehmet, according to Valerie Musaigwa, the social worker who handled his case, “wanted to get away” from the drug trade.
He came to us because Mehmet used to sell narcotics, she claimed. He started participating in cross-county narcotics trafficking.
He wanted to flee out of dread of it. Because there were youngsters selling drugs nearby, he asked that we avoid the businesses.
The court heard that Mehmet’s family was unaware that he had used narcotics until the day in August when he returned home.
He spent an hour riding his bike outside, then came home, went to his room, and puked on his bed, according to Mrs. Altun.
Yaz Altun, Mehmet’s sister, described the terrifying moment she realised something was “seriously wrong” when he started to feel poorly.
She testified at the inquiry about how she begged with him not to sleep while he continued stating he wanted to take a nap.
He was sweating and had a pretty red complexion, according to Ms. Altun. He began to pace the hallway. He refused to reveal what he had taken.
“He wouldn’t stop moving, going from room to room.” He talked incoherently at times, although he claimed to be in terrific shape.
He had some paranoia. He continued to check behind me because he believed someone was there.
He finally admitted to having taken two of the three medications he had purchased.
He said that he wanted to sleep, and despite my warning to not do so, he began to do so. “Mehmet, can you hear me?” I asked. He remained silent.
Mehmet’s parents “tried all they could,” according to senior coroner Rachel Griffin, to safeguard their son.
Mehmet’s death, in her opinion, was “drug-related.”
Mehmet, a 13-year-old kid, was characterised as joyful at the time of his passing, according to Mrs. Griffin. He comes from a loving and devoted family, that much is obvious.
I can see that he decided to use those medicines on that particular day. His phone had proof that he had made plans to buy them.
If there is any good to come out of the severe suffering you have all experienced, it is to warn people away from taking these substances, which are harmful and have resulted in a devastating loss of life.
“You could not have taken care of him any longer; he had his whole life ahead of him.” That he made the decision he did that day is simply so terrible.
The teen’s family blamed the gang for exposing him to narcotics in a statement after the inquest, and they argued that more needed to be done to shield kids from criminal exploitation.
They said that social agencies, educational institutions, and the police “neglected” youths like Mehmet.
They declared: “The child exploitation issue is the main worry and the fundamental issue.
“These kids and teens are the victims; they don’t just happen to have access to these substances,” the speaker said.
They are manipulated and groomed into this lifestyle by the exploiters. Mehmet, sadly, was one of them.
“This catastrophe has to be brought to light, and people’s consciousness needs to be elevated, since it occurs right in front of our eyes and goes undetected until we are aware of it.”
They employ these kids because, if caught, they never get their money back. They are skilled at what they do, and because of this, our kids end up getting the short end of the stick from the police, social services, and even the school.
Mehmet could have been the one to sell to someone else, which might have led to their demise.
That’s the problem; any youngster may fall prey to child exploitation, even if they come from a loving and supportive home.
It is up to BCP Council to comprehend why, even if the coroners court can only actually provide answers to who, when, where, and how anything happened. Why does this issue continue to exist? There is a need for further action.
Yaz, Mehmet’s sister, who now works for Escapeline, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to preventing child exploitation, continued, “Unfortunately, this is getting worse every year, and the more our kids, parents, and government officials are educated on the issue, the more we can work together to stop drugs from being so accessible to kids while ultimately steering them away from gang activity.”
“No kid deserves to feel locked and confined in their childhood or adolescence because they were afraid to say no.” It can happen to anyone, so I urge parents to educate themselves.