Greenbud

Cannabis blamed for teen's rail line death

By Antony Stone | ic Wales | August 19, 2004

A teenage boy knocked down and killed by an express train was probably under the influence of cannabis at the time, an inquest jury heard today.

Phillip Francis, 18, from West Wales, turned his back on the speeding train and walked down the track as its driver sounded the horn.

Within seconds he was hit by the 415-ton First Great Western high-speed train heading to London Paddington from Carmarthen at 7.58am on May 6.

An inquest jury in Llanelli heard today how the parents and friends of the teenage labourer, of Randall Square, Pembrey, had been devastated by his death.

Driver Michael Jonah said he had already been slowing the train from 75mph to 65mph as he approached Pembrey station from a mile away.

He saw the teenager walk out from the side of Talybank Bridge, Pembrey, and continue on to the track.

"He just continued to walk on the running lines and turned his back. He made no acknowledgement of the horn."

He said that he appeared to raise both of his arms to shoulder height in the moment before being struck.

[Greenbudnote: Like he was welcoming the impact. Sounds to me like he committed suicide, stoned or not.]

"The front of the driver's cab then struck this young person and he disappeared from view below the train," Mr Jonah added.

David Emmott, a British Transport Police investigator, said Phillip had been at a sleepover at a friend's home in Burry Port that night.

He said his parents were aware that he had been using cannabis for about one year but had been unable to stop him taking it.

[Greenbudnote: Gratuitous use of the "addiction" myth...]

He had left no suicide note, did not suffer from depression and was seen as pleasant and well-balanced by all who knew him.

"It seems most likely that his death is the result of disorientation as a result of his use of the drug," Mr Emmott said.

[Greenbudnote: Uh...yeah...]

Pauline Mainwaring, deputy coroner for Llanelli, said a post-mortem report had concluded the teenager had died of multiple injuries.

Toxicology tests confirmed that he had taken cannabis not long before the accident.

[Greenbudnote: HOW long? 1 hour? 6 hours? 24 hours? I think that fact makes a big difference here.]

It was likely that he was experiencing one or more of the psychological effects associated with the drug at the time of his death.

These include disturbances of memory and judgment, anxiety and panic attacks, irritability and hallucinations.

[Greenbudnote: And the urge to step out in front of trains? Oh come on...I don't care how high I am, I have never experienced an effect that would make me want to throw myself into the path of an oncoming train. This is stupid. The kid obviously had an underlying mental disorder or was suicidal and no one bothered to notice, but instead authorities blame cannabis as the reason he killed himself. More Reefer Madness, courtesy of our friends Down Under.]

The jury recorded a verdict of accidental death.

__________________
"I believe in the near future, the government will use anti-drug hysteria to set up a police state."
-author William S. Burroughs, 1947

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