Richard Lock has paid tribute to his son, Matthew, who took his own life last year
A dad said his life will “never be the same” after his “hero” son took his own life aged 19. Matthew Lock died on September 8, 2023, after a battle with addiction and ADHD.
Matthew was diagnosed with autism when he was 14 and had obsessive and addictive personality traits. His dad said when he was a child he was fascinated with vacuums and at one point had a collection of over 100.
However at the age of 16 Matthew became addicted to alcohol. Unbeknown to his family, addiction is often something people with ADHD suffer from.
Richard Lock, 57, from Maghull, told the ECHO how his son, who was a local councillor in Maghull, had gotten “quite a rep” in his community for fixing things up and helping others. He said: “From a young age he had become fascinated with cleaning – he started collecting vacuum cleaners and began fixing them at the age of 14. He’d even been on ITV This Morning where he was interviewed about his collection.
READ MORE: Dad sells £2m Omaze house months after win to buy ‘dream home’ insteadREAD MORE: Mum ‘in a panic’ after note put on front door until ‘unexpected’ phone call
“But unbeknown to us his fascination had transpired and we found out he had ADHD. We had taken him to Alder Hey when he was just a child because of his fascination with vacuums, they said it was nothing to worry about. It carried on until he was 13 and we took him back to Alder Hey where they diagnosed him at 14 with autism. However, his underlying diagnosis of ADHD was missed.”
Richard said they took Matthew to be tested for ADHD and he was diagnosed aged 16. He added: “But at this age he had started to drink alcohol, we thought it was an adolescent thing we didn’t realise there was a link between ADHD and addiction at the time. We later learnt the addiction doesn’t always have to be drugs or alcohol, it could be a whole load of things like gambling, excessive shopping, hoarding.
“We didn’t know anything about the link between ADHD and suicide or addiction and it’s what has kept us awake every night for the last 14 months until Matthew took his life, which is why we want to raise awareness.”
Richard told the ECHO how proud he and Matthew’s mum Christine Lock, 57, are of their son. He said how he had gone through school, got his A-levels, and went to university before becoming a local councillor in Maghull. He had also been shortlisted for an award to be county councillor, just two months before he died.
In a heart warming tribute to his son, who “loved to make people laugh”, he said: “Our only son, Matthew, at the age of 19 took a catastrophic decision to end his own life in an impulsive act. We’re left devastated and eternally broken-hearted.
“Matthew was loved and well-known by so many people. [He] is our only child, always happy, a smiley baby from the minute he was born. Matthew was caring, thoughtful and sensitive, a wonderful grandson.
“He had a great sense of humour and loved to make us laugh, he was kind and smart. He’d help anyone if he could and often did. Ironically, he helped talk a person suffering a crisis back down to safety one night on his way home. He loved his music, festivals, having his friends around and karaoke, although he couldn’t sing.
“Matthew made people smile, he was great company, a unique character who lit up the room. He was and will always be our hero and his late nan’s hero. We’ll forever love and miss him, words can’t express how lost we are without our son, our lives will never be the same.”
The family have now set out to create awareness of ADHD and its links to addiction and have set up a GoFundMe page to dedicate to their campaign. Richard added: “ADHD has always had the perception of a naughty school boy, but there is so much more to ADHD and a more sinister side to it and the ultimate risk is suicide and this is why we want to raise awareness.”
