DRUG addict Paul Rothwell had become so caught up in the grip of heroin he was prepared to do anything to feed his addiction.

And many believe his dependence on the drug led to his death at the hands of Kenneth Hartley.

The two had known each other all their lives and their girlfriends were sisters. But Hartley showed no mercy when he blasted his 24-year-old victim to death.

Paul knew all of the key figures on the drugs scene in Bank Top. His close circle of friends were either involved in dealing, raising money through desperate and illegal means to feed their habits or taking illegal substances.

Like many others, Paul started smoking cannabis as a teenager and moved on to ecstasy and amphetamines.

When heroin became popular in Bank Top, Paul and his friends were soon dabbling in it.

Paul had strong links with the dealers who controlled the illicit trade and worked hand in glove with the people who would later be involved in his murder.

He was no stranger to the courts and had spent several spells behind bars.

But everything began to change when the heroin took control of his life. He had a £300 a week habit and was soon seen as unreliable by his former criminal contacts.

When he started to terrorise drug addicts into handing over their drugs, swift and violent action was taken.

Paul was taken to the woods at Witton Park and given a savage beating. His face was smashed in with a house-brick and he was stabbed in the leg. But despite spending several weeks in hospital Paul refused to co-operate with the police and failed to learn his lesson.

Paul tried several times to kick his habit but over time he was drawn back into the seedy world of addiction.

He lived with fellow addicts and prostitutes and soon went back to "taxing" addicts when the money and drugs supply dried up.

But there may have been a second motive behind the killing. Paul had long had a stormy relationship with his girlfriend Kelly Coupe. She left him months before the murder, taking their daughter Keara with her because of the problems with drugs and Paul's stormy lifestyle.

There was also a history of violence between the two and Hartley may have decided to take revenge because of the close family connections between them.

Hartley was not a big player in the drugs scene and had no major convictions on his record. He was seen by many as a small time criminal who acted for the people who wanted Paul Rothwell dead.

There is little doubt shadowy figures who control the drug trade helped to make Kenneth Hartley's mind up when he set out to kill his former friend.

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