A GRIEVING Basingstoke mum has won the support of the town's MP in her battle to get answers about the death of her young son.

Fiona Timothy is fighting to establish the facts behind the apparent suicide of 12-year-old Moses Paramour last year while he was in county council foster care.

Her campaign to find out how the tragedy happened has been backed by Basingstoke MP Andrew Hunter, who has pledged to keep a close eye on the social services and police internal inquiries into their handling of the case.

Mrs Timothy, 34, from Mullins Close, Oakridge, claims social services did not help Moses get the counselling he desperately needed before his death. She also alleges that the police investigation into his death has not been sufficiently rigorous.

She and husband Alvin, 30, have filed official complaints against both the police and social services as a result.

Mrs Timothy said: "There is so much fighting to be done that it's like a full-time business and it's a battle every day.

"It's hard to find the will to carry on sometimes, but I must fight for Moses now he is dead. I can't go forward with my life until I have answers."

In 2003, Mrs Timothy told a court how she suffered years of physical abuse at the hands of her former partner Adrian Hodge, as did the four children they had together, including Moses.

Hodge is serving a 16-year prison sentence for hiring a hitman to try to kill Alvin Timothy at the former family home in Cayman Close, Popley, in November 2002.

Mrs Timothy claims she has fought to get counselling for her children to deal with the demons that haunt them as a result of their past, but says they have not received it.

Moses was in foster care at the time of his death, having been deemed beyond parental control. Mrs Timothy believes this was the result of the trauma he suffered and that he would still be alive if he had had appropriate counselling.

She said: "Mistakes in the past are what have caused Moses to be in the ground.

"He would not be dead if people had listened to me when I said he needed help."

The Timothy family have been in regular contact with Mr Hunter as part of their campaign - and he has offered them his sympathy and support.

"I understand their grief and anxiety," said the MP, who expects police and social services probes into the handling of the case to be completed shortly.

"We need to wait and find out what the police and social services have to say, but if these reports are in any way unacceptable then appropriate action must be taken."

Terry Butler, Hampshire County Council's social services director, said an investigation into all matters surrounding Moses' death is being undertaken by Hampshire's multi-agency Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC).

He said: "As part of that investigation, all organisations who had some involvement with Moses and his family are carrying out internal reviews.

"Our review is nearing completion and will then be passed to the ACPC who will be carrying out their own investigation once they have had reviews from all the relevant agencies.

"We had been involved with Moses for a number of years, providing support and assistance to him and to his family when they felt able to accept it, and this offer continues."

Avril MacDonald, Hampshire Constabulary media services officer, said: "We can confirm that we have received a number of complaints from the Timothy family.

"These have been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and they are managing the investigation of these complaints."

Meanwhile, the Timothy family is waiting in hope that these investigations - and an inquest scheduled to take place in the autumn - may help them find answers to their questions about the tragic end to Moses' life.

First published: Friday, March 18, 2005