The mother of a teenager groomed by a county lines gang wants the law changed to protect victims.
One mother has told the BBC how her son was coerced into selling drugs for a county lines gang
"He was petrified," says Sarah, whose name we have changed. "He went from zero to 10. He started smashing the house up." "I do not think the police treated my son as a victim," says Sarah, matter-of-factly. "They treated him as a criminal."Policing minister Chris Philp tells BBC Politics North each case gets looked at on its individual merits, adding: "If children are being exploited and coerced, the law would not criminalise them in those circumstances."
Sarah says she soon came to realise her son was both a user and a dealer, selling drugs for people much older than him.Getty ImagesSince 2019, the government's county lines programme has shut down 2,400 lines and made over 8,000 arrestsSarah says: "He told me, 'This is what you get from owing money'. No mother should see their child's face twice the size it should be."
She thinks a "joined up approach" by police, social services and other agencies is needed, with support for child victims - even if they may have committed serious offences.
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