The father of two boys who died next to each other having taken a drug overdose is calling for MDMA to be legalised.
In November 2014 Jacques and Torin Lakeman met up to see Manchester United play at Old Trafford as a treat ahead of their first Christmas apart.
Two days later they were found dead above a pub in Bolton, the Manchester Evening News reported.
The brothers had taken a lethal overdose of MDMA which Torin, 19, had bought from a dealer on the 'dark web'.
As the tragedy began to sink in their dad Ray started researching drug usage and dealing, leading him to a surprising conclusion.
He believes that drugs should be legalised.
“If I thought banning drugs works I would support it, of course,” Ray says.
“I wish it would stop people but it won’t and if we want to save lives and if the authorities were genuinely interested in saving lives I suggest they change their policies.
"The current policies won’t stop people from dying.”
Before they died the brothers' futures had looked bright.
Torin was about to start his second year of astrophysics at the University of Aberystwyth, and talented guitarist Jacques had moved to London to live with his grandma and work at a hotel.
Realising he would have to work through Christmas and wouldn't be able to make it home to the Isle of Mann, Jacques arranged to meet his brother on November 29 in Manchester.
They were caught on CCTV checking into the Grapes pub in Bolton, buying two bottles of WKD and a packet of chewing gum, and heading to their room.
The last time Torin was seen was when he came downstairs at 9.30pm and asked for the pub's wifi password.
Ray said: “I know they would have done what they normally did - just watch a video together.
“That was the last anyone saw of them. That was Saturday night at 9.30pm. They were not found until 2.30pm on Monday.”
At an inquest into their deaths a coroner recorded their cause of death as fatal MDMA toxicity.
Jacques had six times the typical recreational amount of the drug in his system while Torin had even more, Bolton Coroners' Court heard.
The dealer who supplied the drug to the brothers is currently serving a 16-year sentence in prison.
“The obvious thing everyone expects me to say is ‘they should be banned’," Ray continued.
“When it went to the inquest in Bolton one of the things that resonated with me was that they said the boys had exceeded what everyone understands to be a recreational dose.
“It struck me that the authorities know there is a recreational dose that won’t kill you.
“Of course wherever you buy it from you can’t get a recreational dose because it’s not a regulated market.”
Ray pointed out that the fact the drug is banned did not stop his boys buying some.
“Drugs are banned but it didn’t stop my boys getting hold of it and wanting to take it.
“I don’t like it and I’m not condoning it but people need to realise their kids are doing it too. You would be surprised how many kids are doing it.
“Banning it doesn’t stop it. If it did I would be 100 per cent behind banning it, but it won’t stop people wanting to take it.
“Statistically, my boys were unlucky.
“There is this entrenched argument that drugs are bad. I think most of these deaths are preventable.”
To mark the fifth anniversary since his boy's died Ray will head to Manchester to retrace their final steps.
He will also speak at the Manchester: Take Drugs Seriously conference, where he will be calling for the legal regulation of drugs.
He added: “I think we need to understand why people are using drugs and I mean drugs generally.
“The number of drugs deaths is rising, the strength is increasing and more people are using them. There needs to be a seachange in our thinking, otherwise these deaths will continue.
“We can’t just enforce the law and arrest our way out of this.”
Ray believes if it could happen to his sons then it could happen to anybody.
“My boys were very very close,” he said.
"They did everything together. They even played in a band together.
“I know they were just trying to have a good time that night.
“I’m almost 70 but I try to understand what happened to my boys.
“If it can happen to my sons, who had everything going for them, it can happen to anyone. That’s the message from Anyone’s Child.
“Nobody wants to be in my situation through drugs.”
