THE grieving father of hanging victim Tony Stanworth wants his son's death to act as a warning about the evil of drugs.

Tony's family believe he hanged himself in a garage at their home because he could no longer continue his fight against drug abuse and was frightened of losing his new girlfriend.

They have backed the Lancashire Evening Telegraph anti-drugs campaign.

Tony, 37, was found dead in the garage at Sellars Fold Farm, Hapton, by the next-door neighbour on Monday.

An inquest was opened in Burnley yesterday when Victor Stanworth said his son, Anthony Wayne, known as Tony, had recently been living with his girlfriend, Debbie, in Padiham. On Saturday, he returned to Sellars Fold Farm asking to stay the night because they had had a row.

"We expected everything to be back to square one the next day,'' said Mr Stanworth. He said that for years his son had suffered from drugs abuse and from depression. Twice he had tried to take his own life.

He was prescribed a daily medication of methadone, a heroin substitute.

On Sunday they saw that a half bottle of brandy was empty but it was not until 8.30am on Monday that Tony was found hanging in the garage.

Coroner David Smith adjourned the hearing.

After the hearing, Mr Stanworth, who runs electrical motor rewinders SW Controls, in Ashley Street, Burnley, said he wanted what had happened to Tony to be a warning to others not to dabble in drugs.

He described Tony as a devil-may-care youngster who tried sky-diving, micro-light flying and motor bike scrambling.

He attended Barden High School and later worked as an electrician. He spent a year in a kibbutz in Israel. Mr Stanworth said: "He was a lively and hard-working, well-liked lad. Then he got into the habit of dabbling with drugs.''

After a divorce, he went to Bangkok for three months and that is where Mr Stanworth believes he got into the hard stuff.

Mr Stanworth once took him to a rehabilitation centre at Lancaster. "He was back home before I was,'' he said.

Tony twice battled to come off drugs and won. Mr Stanworth said: "In 1992 he had his own little house in Olympia Street, Burnley, and plenty of friends.

"But when things were looking good, he went the other way. He lost everything, his house, car and a good job because he had resorted to stealing.''

Mr Stanworth added: "Things were getting worse again for Tony. He had beaten drugs twice but I think he felt he couldn't beat it a third time. His mind tried to but his body gave up. It was a bridge too far. He fought to beat it and it must have been very hard.

"If your campaign prevents just one person going through what Tony and we have gone through it will have achieved something. Drugs are an evil thing.''

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