Sep 1, 2015 A DESPERATE mother who locks her son in a cage to stop him using ice is a sign of “desperation and anguish” that could easily backfire, an addiction expert says. The Queensland mother has installed a purpose-built $3000 cage in her home to keep her 17-year-old contained. The cage has steel beams and poles that are kept in place by plates in the floor and the ceiling, but inside is a relatively normal room with a double bed and space to move. She has told the Nine Network’s A Current Affair program her son had asked to be treated like a prisoner. “He was crying in bed, and screaming for help. He said ‘Mum, Mum, you have to lock the cage, you have to lock the door’,” the mother said. The teen, identified only as Wiley, said he lived in the cage to stop him from being “out of control” when high on ice. “I would rather look at my mum as a jailer than be in a real jail. She went to a lot of effort, spent a lot of money,” he said. An addiction expert spoken to by news.com.au said it was a graphic illustration of the depth of Australia’s ice addiction and also of the pressures treatment programs are under. Sam Biondo, executive officer of the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) told said the situation was unusual and “wrong at a range of levels”.
