Father admits lying to police over Worthing death (From The Argus)

Father admits lying to police over Worthing death

1:40pm Wednesday 20th July 2011 in News By Emily Walker, Chief Reporter

A father lied to the police to protect his son whose girlfriend died from a heroin overdose.

Jeffrey Gold at first told detectives his son could not remember how Lorraine Shepherd died.

But Mr Gold said he could not live with the lie and made a statement the next day saying his son told him he injected her with a small amount of heroin after she begged him for a fix.

However, he told a jury yesterday: “I assumed that he had injected it because that is how he used heroin.

“That is what the police put in my statement but I was not there, I don't know what happened.”

Gold, 29, moved into Miss Shepherd's flat in Cranworth Road, Worthing, three days before her death.

He called an ambulance after finding her blue and not breathing on November 3, 2009, a jury at Lewes Crown Court was told yesterday.

Paramedic Stephen Fox said: “He seemed very agitated and said he had only given her a little bit. We decided to call the police.”

He added that Miss Shepherd's flat was clean and tidy and that she did not look like she was a heroin user.

Jeffrey Gold said his son had taken drugs since he was 13 when he started smoking cannabis and had moved on to use heroin.

He said Miss Shepherd's death had put him under tremendous pressure and that he had lied in his first statement to protect his son.

He added: “I said I could not remember but that was not the truth. I was trying to protect my son.

“I feel tragically sorry for Lorraine's family, I really do, because I have a daughter myself. It is very difficult.

“I went back to the police the next day because I had to tell the truth.

I could not live with it because I had lied.”

He said his son had told him he had given Miss Shepherd the drugs and that she had been “begging” for them.

Mr Gold said his son and then panicked and wiped the needles they had used to inject the heroin after he had found Miss Shepherd dead.

Lewis Power, QC, defending, asked Mr Gold: “He told you he had given her a very small amount of heroin.

“He did not actually tell you that he had injected her did he?”

Mr Gold replied: “No. I assumed that he had injected her because that is how he takes it himself.”

Simon Gold, of Kingsway, Hove, denies manslaughter.

The trial continues.