| Location | Milton Keynes |
| Age | 18 years |
| Date of Birth | 11/1988 |
| Date of Death | 10/2007 |
| Visitors | 11,288 since 15/11/2007 |
| Creator |
I want answers, says dead youth's mum.
A GRIEVING mother wants her son's death re-investigated by police.
Sam Down, from Stantonbury, was found dead apparently after drinking heavily and drug taking. A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.
But the 18-year-old's mother Diane says many questions remain unanswered and wants the Independent Police Compaints Commission to look into the case.
The inquest this week heard how Sam and friend Elliot Cooper-Carroll, aged 24, spent Friday, October 26, 2007, drinking and smoking cannabis at Elliot's parents' house in Spencer, Stantonbury.
Fifteen empty cans of Stella lager and a half-bottle of whisky were found the next day.
When Mr Cooper-Carroll woke between nine and 10am he saw Sam was not breathing but an ambulance was not called until 1.17pm and after Mr Cooper-Carroll sat watching TV with the body in his room.
The court heard Mr Cooper-Carroll, his mother and her partner tidied up around the body before police arrived.
A post-mortem four days after death found a blood-alcohol level half the legal drink-driving limit and no sign of cannabis use but traces of heroin and codeine. There was also an injury to his head possibly caused by striking a glass tumbler.
Cause of death was given as the combined effect of drugs and alcohol on his breathing.
Recording his verdict the Coroner Mr Rodney Corner said the gap in time between the discovery of Sam's body and calling an ambulance "had caused everyone in the court to wonder".
He added: "Elliot and his family made no determined effort to make sure their friend got the help he needed and they will have to think long about that."
But after Tuesday's hearing Mrs Down said she still wanted answers. She said
Sam had previously used cannabis but not heroin and, despite being told by police the death was being treated as suspicious the day he died, it was not until the day before the inquest, almost six months later, the family learnt of the circumstances of his death.
A statement from the paramedic who attended the scene, and read to the court, was apparently not taken until the morning of the inquest.
Sam's wallet, minus the £190 he had in it, was handed in to Stantonbury Campus weeks after his death and collected by Mrs Down. She reported it to police but, she says, they were not interested.
"It had apparently been outside for weeks but was not even wet," she said. "We just want the case re-investigated."
Yesterday a police spokesman said no formal complaint had been received: "We do take complaints about our service seriously and do have a proper process of dealing with them."
Sam was born on 14th nov. 1988 and died 27th oct 2007. His dads name is arthur and mum is called Diane, his four sisters are Carlie 23, Chloe 22, Hollie 21 and his younger sister Kate 16, his girlfiend Kathryn and nephew little arthur.
Sam
Angel Sam Justice will be done in yor name.Only you know what happend to you that fateful night Thees evil people will get their day for what they have done not only to you but your Lovely Family,also you Friends.
Put your arms around him Lord.
Give ***Sam*** Love and care..
Make up for all he sufferd..
And to all that was unfair Xx
R.I.P Angel Sam
Jay TO Sam
Still thinking of u buddy, still looking out for Kathryn, everything will b fyn just look afta urself up there :) x
sam, i wonder what i would be like if you were still here?
im sure i would have a better job.. a better relationship with my mum... a group of friends that understand me.. basically my life on track!
since the day u went away my life has been turned upside down..
i cant take the pain sam.. everynite i sit up until silly o clock and people think i do it for fun, i do it coz everytime i close me eyes i see u. and it hurts. it hurts that bad im scared to go to sleep!
knowin i have to wake up everyday to an empty bed and look and where u used to hold me until i fell asleep..
no1 can ever treat me the way u did!
u were my life sam. and you still are.
everything i do ur there with me in my heart.
why sam? what can i do to make me me again....
I miss you Sam
Bloody hell Sam, I wish you were still here with us, its so hard knowing that I cant tell you anymore than what i did in the short time you where here, I need to be able to reach out and touch you just to let you know that we all love you and miss you more than anything in the world. I would do anything to get you back xxx
happy 20th
happy birthday sam!! 20years old...
i wonder what you would look like, feel like sound like everything.. but thats all i can do ..wonder.
i bet u look lovely up whr u r.
i miss u soo much, hope ur having a good old piss up!!
be carefull tho love kathryn xxxx
Our Sam the man
cant beleave its a year, there has not been a day when i dont think of you, you are always there in my head, with the injustice and the pain for the rest of our family.
and i know sam that you will never never be forgotten by any of us.
love you always
Liz
xxxxxxxxxx
Last Time I ever Saw You
Its so hard without you Sam. How have we lasted this long without seeing you?? This time last year, down to the very second, we were chilling and playing pool together at the Suffolk and I know that around half 11 tonight I was giving u a lift to Kathryns You orderd a pizza with stuffed crust (extra £2.75 ha ha) and when i dropped u off You said 'see u later clo, be careful' cos u were worried about me driving back to Steves. I miss u so much sam and think about you a million times a day, you never leave my head. I would give anything to see you again. How can you have been so cruely taken away from us and how the hell are we doing this? xxxxx
its liz by the way
ello bub, u ok yeah, cant believe its almost bin a year already! this is crazy. were all comin own 2 c ya on the 27th to celebrate ur life woop woop, eveytime i hear ironic stay wiv me i cant help but think of u, ppl dont understand wat it means to me. im gonna go but ill talk to u soon luvs ya xxxxx
miss u
a thousand words wont bring u back, i know because i've tried, & neither will a thousand tears i kno becos i've cried, they say memories are golden and often that is true, but i neva wanted memories, i've only wanted u!
sam i want u bk!!!
love kathryn xx
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