THE mother of a young Donegal GAA player has warned of the dangers of
legal highs after her son died using the drugs.
Jimmy Guichard (20), a former minor hurler with Letterkenny GAA club St Eunan's, died just hours after taking legal highs in England.
The young man moved to Gravesend in England some months ago to look after his father, Martin who is suffering from cancer.
However, he was found collapsed just hours after taking the legal highs, which he had purchased from a shop in Chatham, Kent. He died from a heart attack and brain damage a short time later.
Legal highs are manufactured substances which create the same mind-altering effects as some drugs but which are not banned.
Jimmy's mother, Karen Audino said her son suffered a heart attack a short time after smoking the legal highs.
"Because of the heart attack it stopped the oxygen going to his brain, which caused brain damage and he was pronounced brain dead so we had to turn off the machines," she said.
Ms Audino said she had no doubt that if the substance had not been available to buy over the counter her son would not be dead.
Paddy Flood, who manages the St Eunan's minor hurling team, said everyone at the club was devastated.
"I've known him since he was an under-12. He was a fine young man and played on the St Eunan's side, which won the county minor hurling championship for the first time in 2011," he said.
Mr Flood said Jimmy had the potential to hurl for the St Eunan's senior team and possibly even for the Donegal county team.