THE grieving mother of a teenage girl who died after taking ecstasy has struck up an ‘unlikely’ friendship with the mum of a youth who supplied the fatal drug.

Kerry Roberts, whose 15-year-old daughter Leah Heyes died after collapsing in a Northallerton car park, has joined forces with Tammy Kirkwood, the mother of Connor Kirkwood who played a role in supplying Leah with a fatal ‘ecstasy bomb’.

Read more: Mum calls for Leah's Law after daughter died from taking ecstasy

They are working together on the Do You Know MDMA? campaign to highlight the fatal risks of so-called ‘party drugs'.

Speaking to the BBC, Kerry acknowledged that their pairing was an unlikely one, but said it would be worth it if meant their message hit home.

The Northern Echo:

Leah was just 15 when she died

She said: "People will look at us and think it's an unlikely friendship.

"People will see us as two separate things but we are both grieving.

“They are both our children."

She added: “The campaign, and us doing it together, I think people will stop and look and they will probably be shocked at first because we’re working together.”

Tammy said they want to get the message out that MDMA, known as ecstacy, isn't a fun party drug.

She added: "We want people to know MDMA kills.

"And we don't want antoher Leah, we don't want another Connor."

Kerry said: "I feel like if we've told our story and tried to educate people then we can't do much more.

"Leah died and I can't let that be for no reason."

Both mothers met under the restorative justice scheme and Kerry admitted that it had made her feel ‘less hatred’ towards Connor.

Connor, of Dishforth, was jailed for 21-months in November last year for his role in supplying Leah with the ecstasy that killed her, but was released after serving six months due to good behaviour.

Another teenager, Mitchell Southern, then 19, of Dondeen Avenue, Thirsk, was sentenced to 12-months in a young offenders' institute.

The Northern Echo:

Connor Kirkwood and Mitchell Southern both admitted supplying ecstasy

Connor’s mum Tammy said she felt "guilt and shame" over whether she could have prevented Leah's death.

She told the BBC: "I thought where have I gone wrong? How did this happen? What did I do?

"And there's the guilt of my child being involved in someone else's child losing their life.”

As well as the campaign to raise awareness, Kerry is also calling on a change in the law so that any child under the age of 16 cannot consent to taking illegal substances.

Read more: Two youths sentenced for supplying the fatal ecstasy 'bombs' to teenager Leah Heyes

She argues that if children aged 16 and under are unable to buy alcohol or cigarettes, then they should not be able to consent to taking illegal drugs – thus placing more responsibility and harsher sentencing on those who supply them to youngsters.

Kerry told The Northern Echo this week: “"For the courts, it is out of their hands.

“I think the law should be changed, it is about protecting our children. If you thought you were going to get a harsher sentence maybe people would think about supplying drugs to under 16’s."

She has launched a petition calling for the law change. 

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