Corby man jailed for supplying illegal morphine to 19-year-old boy who died of overdose

The victim's mother screamed at the man after he was sentenced in court, saying she 'hopes he rots in there'
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A 36-year-old man was sent to prison for supplying illegal liquid morphine to a 19-year-old which contributed to his death.

Scott Moffat was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Tuesday (September 21) after pleading guilty to supplying Class A drugs which led to the death of Ross Clark.

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Ross, from Corby, died on February 15 last year, just two weeks after moving out of his parents’ home, and hours after his colleague Scott Moffat gave him the illegal liquid morphine at work to treat minor pain.

Scott MoffatScott Moffat
Scott Moffat

The court heard that Moffat said Ross had told him he had a toothache and he offered him some liquid morphine he had in has bag but told him only to take a little bit.

35 minutes later, Ross came back and asked for more, the court heard.

Moffat, of Corby, put the bottle back under a workstation - at Rockingham Logistics Hub at Corby’s former speedway, where they both worked - but by the end of the shift he noticed half of the 300ml bottle had gone.

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Police were called when Ross did not reply to messages sent to him by friends and family.

Ross ClarkRoss Clark
Ross Clark

Officers found Ross on his bed the next day, foaming at the mouth. Ross had tragically died.

A post-mortem examination showed that Ross had died of a combination of the effects of taking morphine and cocaine. The origin of the cocaine has never been ascertained.

Ross's mother Ellen bravely read a statement in court describing the effects her son's death has had on her and her family.

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She said: "The loss of my son Ross has been devastating. Before Ross passed away I had a happy life.

"I can't understand why it's so easy for someone to break the law.

"I'm angry and upset. The loss of my son has left a massive void in our lives."

Ellen said her first-born Ross was her 'miracle baby' after going through multiple miscarriages before giving birth to him.

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She went on to say: "That man [Moffat] gave that stuff to my son. He gave him drugs that contributed to his death.

"Who would take that stuff to work to give it to someone else? What has happened does not make sense to me. We have to live with his consequences.

"We are both angry at this man for taking our son.

"I can't live another day without Ross. I ask him to come and get me because I can't face another day of this.

"Ross had everything going for him. Our lives have been destroyed and will never be the same again."

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The defence counsel said Moffat is remorseful and accepts his reckless behaviour.

The defence said: "He feels great remorse for the actions he took for bringing a young life to an end.

"Mr Moffat accepts it was reckless behaviour. He should not have provided Mr Clark with the substance.

"Mr Moffat feels he had no obvious control of the taking of the substance amount that Mr Clark took."

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The defence said Moffat lost an eye in 2015 after a work-related accident and uses liquid morphine to treat the pain.

Judge Mayo said: "The effect of his death on them simply cannot be measured. The family is devastated by the loss of their 'miracle baby'.

"You supplied a drug to somebody...which you knew was dangerous.

"The aggravating factor is, obviously, and in my judgement a very significant factor, the death of Ross."

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Judge Mayo sentenced Moffat to 30 months in prison, with half of that to be served in custody.

An upset Ellen screamed as Moffat was taken to prison: "You were not his friend. You killed my boy. I hope he rots in there."

Speaking after the hearing, Ellen said: "All we can say is it's finished for us.

"It does not matter what the sentence is because the outcome is not going to change for us. We have still lost our son. It is what it is."