THE mother of a vulnerable man who died of heart failure after buying drugs from the dark web has said she will live with the pain of his death "until I meet my end".

Kathy Livick said that she had woken up in "a lot of pain" every day since finding the lifeless body of her son Charlton at their home in Ferndown on March 29, 2017.

He bought drugs from a business run by Lee Childs, Jake Levene and Mandy Lowther, who have been jailed for selling drugs such as fentanyl and the much stronger carfentanyl.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), Mr Livick, affectionately known as Charlie by his family, was one of six of the trio's customer base to have died from drug-related deaths.

Although it has never been proved that their deaths were caused by the illicit substances that were supplied by the group, Ms Livick, 62, said an inquest had revealed that a "lethal dose" of carfentanyl had contributed to her son's heart failure.

The former therapist described her son, who was 33 when he died, as being deeply depressed and someone who "found the world a very uncomfortable place to be in", adding that he sought out drugs to help treat his anxiety.

She said: "What I suspect is that, because he was searching for prescription drugs that he could not procure from a GP for whatever professional reasons, he found another way of getting hold of basically anything you can on the dark web.

"Whether he meant to order that [carfentanyl] or not, I think that's highly unlikely."

Describing the moment she found his body, Ms Livick, who has one other son, added: "It's very hard to process. I couldn't accept that he was dead and so I spent a long time trying to resuscitate him, but I think I knew.

"There was nothing anyone could do for him. I think the drugs had taken their course."

Ms Livick said she hopes the case helps prevent others from taking dangerous drugs.

She said: "It's too late. All I want is my son back, and I can't have that, but it's good to see some justice done."