'Seeing your child self-destruct is heartbreaking': Family of exploited teen call for greater support and services
3 February 2025, 10:46 | Updated: 3 February 2025, 11:07
The family of a young man who was exploited by a gang are calling for more support for families affected by modern day slavery.
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Sam Price died from a drugs overdose at the age of 21 having spent seven years in the clutches of a gang who would exploit him, threaten him with horrific violence and force him to sell their drugs.
Sam's father, Simon, said: "Sam had ADHD, and had a tendency to be a bit spontaneous and do things without thinking. I think that made him more vulnerable, and because of his dyslexia, he really struggled academically. I think his self-esteem wasn't great and I think he felt very lonely and just wanted to fit in."
At the age of 14, and desperate to make friends at a new school and at his local skate park, Sam began smoking weed given to him by local dealers, but he soon became trapped in an exploitative cycle of needing to sell drugs in order to feed his new habit, with gang members repeatedly threatening to kill him if he didn’t comply.
His family watched helplessly as their once happy, care-free son, was dragged deeper and deeper into a world of criminal exploitation and addiction and were at a loss of how to cope.
Read more: Police launch urgent hunt for woman, 28, who hasn't been seen in four days
Tracey Fisher MBE from The Insurance Institute of Liverpool discusses her support for Causeway
Sam's mum, Liz, said: “I would regularly hear movement late at night, and I’d go downstairs, and Sam would be putting his coat on to go out. I would try and tell Sam that he wasn’t leaving the house, but by that time he was 16, and he was 6'4".
"I would get angry, but you could see he was really, really anxious and frightened. He would say ‘I've got to go, I've got to go, I've got to go.' And he would more or less push me out the way and go out the front door. I felt so helpless as a parent. It was very frightening. I just didn't know where to turn.”
The family had sought support from Sam’s schools, even reaching out to social services and local addiction specialists, but nothing seemed to help.
As Sam’s addiction to drugs increased, so did his debts to the dealers, and his involvement with criminal gangs tightened its grip.
“At one point Sam was actually stabbed as a warning shot,” said Simon. “It was a message, this time we’ll stab somewhere that's fairly safe, but next time we'll stab you somewhere a bit more critical."
Simon and Liz took their son, now aged 20, to a rehab unit, but they couldn’t make him stay. They were advised by the staff that Sam wasn’t ready yet, and that they needed to ‘let Sam reach rock bottom.’
Sam ended up in a bedsit, where his parents would regularly visit him to make sure he was ok.
"We took him meals, and we would pay for his mobile phone. We never wanted to lose contact with him,” added Liz. “Sam would sit and cry in my arms, saying I've really messed up. I want to get better. I want to get out of this. Seeing your child self-destruct is just absolutely heartbreaking.”
In March 2018, Simon found Sam’s body.
“I think, probably the worst thing in the world I've ever had to do, was go to Liz's work and tell her,” said Simon.
“This sort of bereavement comes with a lot of guilt. The feeling of having let your child down. It’s very hard to live with. We were loving, caring parents that really wanted to do the best for our son. But we were lost. We were out of our depth. We didn't know what to do.”
Sam's Auntie, Tracey Fisher, who was awarded an MBE in 2012 for Services to Young People and Services to the Community of Eastham, revealed her family’s story after she made Liverpool based anti-slavery organisation Causeway.
She told LBC: "People need to know that criminal exploitation can touch any family.
"Sam was in this spiral of downwards drug running, dealing. I mean, he moved on from weed on to the harder substances, so on to all the different drugs. He then got sucked in because to feed his habit he needs to do the running.
"Families struggle, how do you deal with it? How can you actually cope with it? I suppose maybe at the time we didn't necessarily Google it enough to find out what was around, but it just doesn't feel that (there is enough support), or enough education for parents, carers, those who are in this situation where I suppose you don't know where to turn, everybody's circumstances are going to be different, but at least if you know you've got somewhere you can go for help and advice. Then you know that would be a great start, at least for others.
Tracey's company has made Causeway their charity of the year and says there needs to be more services available for families who have loved ones caught up in exploitation, she said: "Don't give up on them. Reach out. Talk to organisations like Causeway or try social services, but do not give up on them and just keep fighting and fighting.
Causeway CEO Helen Ball said: "We're very grateful to Tracey, Simon and Liz for sharing Sam's story with Causeway, and helping us amplify our anti-slavery message. Criminal exploitation destroys lives, and unfortunately touches many, many families around the UK.
"Causeway supports people who have experienced criminal exploitation such as Sam, as well as thousands of others who have experienced forced labour, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude. Visit Causeway's website to find out more about spotting the signs of modern slavery and human trafficking, and where to get support."
