Fatal methadone supplier jailed

File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

The parents of a Masterton teenager who died after being given methadone by a father-of-three, say two years' jail is not enough for their son's life - and are sickened that they even cooked a meal for the man before they were aware he supplied the fatal dose.

"Two years, is that all our boy's life is worth? Every day is just another day," said a tearful Linda Murphy, outside the High Court at Wellington today.

Daniel George Ewen, 38, was today sentenced to two years' jail after admitting supplying methadone to Aaron Miller, 17, last October when a group of teenage friends of his son were drinking at his home. Aaron was found dead the next morning.

Mrs Murphy said she was particularly upset as Ewen had visited them in the days after Aaron's death and attended his funeral, before toxicology reports indicated that methadone supplied by him had been a factor in his death.

"He came around to our house and we cooked him dinner, and he was the one who killed my boy - what kind of morals is that?" she said, breaking down after the sentencing.

A charge of manslaughter against Ewen was dropped in July, after he pleaded guilty to supplying a class B controlled drug on October 18 last year.

A post-mortem showed the combination of methadone, alcohol and oxazepam, a sedative, found in his blood was enough to kill the teen.

In the High Court today, Justice Ronald Young described how a group of teenage friends were drinking at Ewen's Masterton home, when Aaron, Ewen and Ewen's son later went into a bedroom where Ewen gave Aaron a syringe of methadone. Aaron was found dead at his home the next morning.

Ewen had been on methadone for 12 years, and was allowed "takeaways" from the pharmacy. He claimed Aaron had "hounded him" for the drug, but this was "nonsense" Justice Young said.

"You are an adult, it was your methadone, it is a nonsense to suggest you were... forced to supply this methadone; you did so entirely voluntarily."

Ewen was sentenced to 2-1/2 years' jail, which he reduced by six months for an early guilty plea. Justice Young rejected a request for home detention by defence counsel Ken Daniels, who said Ewen wanted to rehabilitate himself after 12 years on methadone and had been clean for two weeks.

Justice Young said "deterrents and denunciation" were required.

There were seriously aggravating features, including Ewen's abuse of trust and the fact he did not know what other drugs or alcohol Aaron had consumed that evening before he gave him methadone, which he knew was a strong drug.

He said it was an "appalling act of irresponsibility" by Ewen, who had a history of minor drug-related offending and had admitted supplying methadone to the teenager on other occasions.

"While you might not be legally responsible for causing (Aaron's) death, there is no doubt what you did played a part... and you should feel responsible for causing his death."

Aaron's mother and girlfriend were "understandably devastated by the death of their friend and son. They have lost a much-loved young man and I acknowledge their grief."

Ewen is the father of three teenagers and had used drugs since he was 16, Justice Young said.

Justice Young said while the post-mortem found enough methadone in his system to kill him, there were also other drugs and alcohol which contributed to his death.

"There is no doubt that it was the combination of all the drugs taken that night, including alcohol, which caused his death."

Family friend Leigh Watkins said the family believed laws governing methadone were "too lax", allowing addicts to bring methadone home and into the community rather than taking them in supervised conditions. It was a highly dangerous drug and 12 years was too long to stay on it, for Ewen.

Mrs Murphy said her message for other teenagers considering taking drugs like methadone was: "Don't go there, it's just not worth the risk."

- NZPA