Brawl as methadone killer jailed

THE FAMILY of a teenager who died after a fatal drug overdose had to be separated in court from relatives of her killer, after he was jailed for ten years yesterday.

James Whitson was convicted of culpable homicide after an eight-day trial at the High Court in Livingston, West Lothian.

He was accused of causing the death of 19-year old Vikki McGovern by selling her a fatal dose of methadone.

Members of the girl's family cheered loudly when Lord Brailsford announced the sentence.

The judge ordered the court to be cleared, as police intervened to keep Whitson's furious relatives apart from Vikki's family.

Medics had to be called after Whitson's mother collapsed, apparently suffering an asthma attack.

Whitson, 33, was also handed a one year prison sentence for supplying the Class A drug.

Outside the court, Pamie Bowmaker, Vikki's mother, said: "Justice was served for my baby today.

"I hope that people who sell drugs to vulnerable, gullible kids will get a very strong message from this heavy jail sentence.

The teenager was found dead in St John's Hill Hostel, in Edinburgh in September 2008. She had earlier called NHS24 in tears, asking about methadone.

Police traced supply of the drug back to Whitson after they identified his DNA on a methadone bottle found near her body.

During the trial, witnesses told how they watched Whitson measuring out methadone he had been prescribed for his heroin addiction, pouring it into a bottle and filling the bottle up with water.

Advocate Depute Laura Thomson said: "Mr. Whitson was willing to sell methadone to a vulnerable and troubled young woman.

"Vikki had already overdosed on methadone three times. Medical witnesses accepted that if she had not been given the methadone she would not have died."

The court heard that Whitson told detectives: "She kept on asking and asking and asking because she wanted to kill herself.

"I watered her methadone because I knew she was going to die. If I didn't do it someone else would have given her more."

Dale Hughes, defence advocate, argued that while Whitson had given Vikki a small quantity of methadone, he had not supplied a fatal dose.