Mum left distraught after courtcase sparks fears son had died

One even contacted Pauline Vaux’s sister to offer their condolences thinking he had fallen victim to an asthma attack.

The upsetting series of events was sparked when Pauline’s former partner Grant Murray (32), of 35 Thirlestane, Bo’ness, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court when he failed to complete a community payback order imposed after he admitted supplying drugs.

In his defence, his lawyer stated that his young son had died a few weeks earlier after suffering a severe asthma attack.

The case was reported in The Falkirk Herald’s sister paper The Bo’ness Journal leading to the worried enquiries.

The first Pauline (33) heard of it was when she was her sister called her home.

“Someone told her they were sorry to hear about her nephew,’’ said the mum, whose five-year-old son Peter does suffer from asthma.

“I just burst into tears when I read the paper – I don’t think I actually believed it until then. I was angry and just felt sick.”

After Easter Pauline sat Peter down and told him about it.

She said: “He looked at me and said ‘it’s okay I have another dad now so I don’t have to say he is my dad any more’.”

The Falkirk Herald tried to contact Murray yesterday (Wednesday), but he had not responded as the newspaper went to press.

Pauline said she and Murray split up when she was pregnant and he had not had much contact with Peter since.