THE brother of tragic teenage drug death victim Leah Betts has been charged with rape.
Bar worker William Betts was remanded in custody when he appeared in court accused of attacking a 25-year-old woman.
Betts, 24, who moved to Scotland with his parents to start a new life, made no plea or declaration when he appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court.
The death of his sister Leah in 1995 sparked a national anti-drugs campaign, led by his father Paul, a retired Metropolitan Police officer, and stepmother Janet.
Leah went into a coma after taking ecstasy at her 18th birthday party at her parents’ home in Essex and died five days later.
Paul and Janet released a photo of her on a life support machine to kick-start their high-profile crusade against drugs.
The image was used on a billboard campaign with the tag line: “Sorted – just one ecstasy tablet took Leah Betts.”
An inquest later determined that Leah died of acute water intoxication after drinking more than three litres of water in a short time.
It combined with the drug – which inhibits urination – to cause her brain tissue to swell fatally.
The family moved from their home in Essex to Scotland in 1999 to escape the memories.
At the time, Paul said: “The problem was coming home to the same house where Leah died.
“It was like it was with us all the time. Living with it day and night became too much.”
They said life had also become intolerable in Essex after threats were made against them by drug dealers angered by their campaigning.
The family said Scotland provided a better environment for teaching youngsters about the perils of drugs.
The couple spent five days a week talking to schools and youth groups about the dangers of drug in the years following Leah’s death. They also appeared on TV and visited America and Ireland, lecturing youngsters.
Paul and his wife, a retired nurse, moved to Inverness-shire after some years living in Moray.
They now live in Glenmoriston and run a pub-restaurant at Laggan Locks on the Caledonian Canal.
On the tenth anniversary of Leah’s death, they quit their campaign, claiming Tony Blair’s government had let them down.