A heartbroken mother has warned her students about the dangers of overusing common painkillers after losing her son to a split-second “fatal error of judgement.”
William Horley was just 17 years old when he accidentally overdosed on the painkiller Tramadol in 2018.
The teenager, who had just been accepted into the army, bought the prescription medication for £60 from another boy who found it on the “dark web”, part of the internet that is not visible to normal search engines.
But on a night out with friends after finishing his shifts at a seafood restaurant, he took the painkiller while drinking and had a fatal reaction.
Now, Kim Webster from Herne Bay in Kent is on a mission to save young lives and discourage drug taking by telling her tragic story to thousands of schoolchildren across the county.
She said: ‘Will was not a ‘drug addict’ but one night he went out with a friend and after a few drinks they were offered Tramadol as a recreational high.
‘His friend survived but, tragically, Will had a reaction and died.
“This shows that drug experimentation can literally be like flipping a coin: heads is right, tails is wrong.
William Horley was just 17 years old when he accidentally overdosed on the painkiller Tramadol in 2018. Pictured with his mother Kim Webster
The teenager, who had just been accepted into the army, bought the prescription medication for £60 from another boy who found it on the “dark web”, part of the internet that is not visible to normal search engines.
“Will had a bright future ahead of him in the military, but it was gone in an instant.”
He also previously told MailOnline: “He was a sensible guy and we had talked about drugs.” He always told me: “Mom, I’m not stupid. “I’m going into the military, which has a zero-tolerance policy against drugs.”
‘There was one occasion when I caught him smoking a joint.
“I gave him real joy, although I knew what teenager today hasn’t done that?”
‘But overall, I wasn’t afraid of my son getting involved in drugs, because I believed he would never jeopardize his future.
‘Will was not a drug addict. It was a terrible accident, a teenager having fun with his friends, making a momentary bad decision and paying the ultimate price.
“What a terrible waste of a promising young life.”
An inquest into his death in January 2019 recorded a verdict of Tramadol overdose with pneumonia.
An inquest into his death in January 2019 recorded a verdict of overdose of tramadol with pneumonia.
Kim now gives talks at schools and shares Will’s story to discourage teenagers from getting into drugs.
Ms Webster is now dedicated to spreading her message through addiction charity Kenward Trust, where she works as a youth education executive.
His friend told the inquest that although he knew Will had occasionally smoked marijuana in the past, this was the first time the teenager had taken Tramadol.
In 2023, Jake Minter, who was also just 17 at the time of the tragedy, was sentenced to nine months in prison after admitting that he had supplied the Class C substance to Will in the days before his death.
Mrs Webster is now dedicated to spreading her message through addiction charity Kenward Trust, where she works as a youth education executive.
He has visited dozens of secondary schools and colleges across Kent and spoken to more than 55,000 young people, some of whom cried.
Her first visit before joining the trust was to Will’s old school, Herne Bay High, which was both emotional and challenging, she said.
But later, when two students told her how it impacted them, it inspired her to continue.
And she added: “I am just a mother telling my story and I hope to convey a message.”
‘I don’t lecture them because they have to make their own decisions. But I let them know what the tragic consequences may be for them and their families.
Since childhood, Will had been an active, lively boy who dreamed of joining the army (pictured at home in a pirate costume).
William (pictured as a pre-teen) had been accepted into the army and was due to join three months after his death.
“It inspires me to keep doing it.”
Now the Kenward Trust is organizing a youth charity ball, the Kenward Will Change Lives Ball, in Will’s memory next March.
There will be a banquet, music and dancing, and guests are encouraged to “dress to impress.”
Money raised, including from an auction on the night, will go towards the charity’s vital residential and outreach work in the community.
It comes as a BBC investigation in June revealed that more than 50 million doses of illegally marketed drugs were seized in the UK over the past five years.
Seizures between 2019 and 2023 include unlicensed painkillers, anti-anxiety medications, diet pills and erectile dysfunction drugs.
Criminal gangs sell medications illegally through websites designed to look like legitimate pharmacies.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the 50 million doses seized had a street value of up to £70 million.
Last month, new analysis also showed that NHS spending on addictive opioid painkillers has doubled since the pandemic.
Doctors have handed out almost £1bn worth of drugs over five years, with experts blaming agonizing waits for surgery.
The health service distributed £90.1 million worth of medicines in 2019, a figure which rose to £186.2 million last year and an expected figure of £189 million this year.