12 September 2008
Lancashire Post
Dad-of-two John Butler has worked in some of the world’s most gang-ravaged countries and knows full-well the impact drugs and weapons can have on communities.
So the security adviser, who has worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, was horrified when his son Anthony Butler became mixed up in Preston’s drugs world and eventually in more sinister crimes.
Yesterday the 18-year-old, who once dreamed of being a businessman, was jailed for seven years for an aggravated burglary in which a hotel guest was attacked with an axe.
Speaking after the case, John said: “If you lie down with dogs you are going to get fleas. It is bad news, but the real bad news started when he first got arrested for smoking cannabis.
“Once he took that path we couldn’t get him off it. And it will happen to hundreds of others his age.”
https://www.lep.co.uk/news/axe-attack-father-cannabis-ruined-my-son-1-79174
