THE mother of a teenager who was stabbed to death by a woman who had taken legal highs said she believed her son would still be alive if it was not for the substances.

Ashley Meadowcroft, who was also addicted to Happy Joker, was 18 when stabbed to death by Rebecca Tootle.

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Tootle said the drugs made her calmer. But when Mr Meadowcroft turned up at her house with a “dangerous” dog, demanding to speak to her boyfriend, she plunged a knife into his chest.

Tootle, 20, of Fecitt Brow, was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to nine years in prison, which will be followed by a further five years on licence “to protect the public”.

Her barrister, Ken Hind, told Preston Crown Court: “While she has been in custody, she has addressed a lot of problems. She has been free from these legal highs —members of the public do not seem to appreciate how much damage it does to them.”

Victim’s mother Amanda Meadowcroft, 42, told the Lancashire Telegraph that legal highs, which her son had tried to give up, had ruined his life. She said: “Without legal highs, Ashley would not have died — his life could have been saved. It devastated me and I do not want it to happen to another family. My son could be alive if it was not for legal highs. It would be a good idea to ban them in public places in Blackburn.

“They made my son agitated when he was withdrawing from them and they stopped him from doing things he wanted to do. They ruined his life because he would have liked to have gone back to college but he could not.

“They are as bad as heroin as they are so addictive. I would ask the council to ban them, as it could stop what happened to Ashley happening to somebody else.”