'I was £4,000 in debt and I just wanted to disappear'

Dillon Duffy went missing for 10 days - now he is helping to raise vital funds for The Independent's SafeCall appeal

- HARRIETTE BOUCHER

At just 18, Dillon Duffy felt trapped. He was £4,000 in debt, overwhelmed and convinced he had no way out. In desperation, the teenager took out loan after loan, with each one leaving him owing more.

It began to feel as if the only way out was to disappear completely. So Dillon made the drastic decision to board a train to London with no intention of returning.

“I didn’t know what to do, I’d tried everything, and I really didn’t want to say anything to my parents,” the now 19-year-old told The Independent. “I just couldn't bear the thought of dealing with them. It was all just too much, and I just thought the easiest thing to do would be to get away.”

Every year in the UK, around 70,000 children go missing. Each situation is unique, but debt and its inescapable feeling can play a significant role for many. As The Independent aims to raise £165,000 to launch SafeCall, a free new service to help missing children find support and safety no matter what, Dillon reminds those in situations similar to his own that help is always available, and that going missing is never the answer.

Dillon, from Oldham in Greater Manchester, began gambling with his friend in 2023 at the age of 17. It started as a seemingly harmless hobby in which they would typically put £5 or £10 on slot machines. But within months, he was playing roulette and blackjack, and the stakes continued to grow. Dillon wishes he had spoken to his parents about his gambling debt