The parents of a 21-year-old who died of a heroin overdose have defended their decision to release graphic pictures of their daughter's body.

Mick and Pauline Holcroft, of Ledbury, Herefordshire, said they had no regrets about showing the police photographs of Rachel Whitear, but were "overwhelmed" by media attention that followed their publication.

We feel we have donated her life - she would not have wanted to see others suffer as she did Rachel's mother

The 22-minute film, entitled Rachel's Story, which shows how a "beautiful and brilliant" schoolgirl turned into a heroin addict, is being used as part of a package of measures to emphasise an anti-drugs message in secondary schools.

At a press conference on Friday, the Holcrofts said they found other pictures of their daughter, looking happy and healthy, to be the most upsetting.

They maintained the photographs of Rachel's body were "a very small part" of the anti-drugs video, and they did not wish them to detract from the wider message being conveyed in the film.

Pauline Holcroft, 52, said of the pictures: "We realised that when we released them that they would be distasteful to some people."

Her husband Mick added: "We don't regret them... but we've had such a tremendous response that we weren't expecting."

Daughter's battle

Mrs Holcroft talked about her daughter's painful battle to overcome her addiction, saying she had managed to come off the drug on "three or four occasions" but always slipped back.

Rachel, who had dropped out of university, had written verses detailing her pain and torment as she struggled with heroin use and these words also featured in the video.

Rachel's parents hope to stop others using heroin

Mrs Holcroft said: "That is the more powerful part of the film... that comes straight from Rachel... that's her words".

Mrs Holcroft said she was sure her daughter would have approved of their decision to show the images.

The Holcrofts were unable to fulfil Rachel's request to donate her organs after her death, her mother said, but the video release was something else they could do.

"We feel we have donated her life," she said.

"She would not have wanted to see other people suffer as she did."

Controversial

The decision to release the pictures was praised by the parents of teenage ecstasy victim Leah Betts but pressure group DrugScope suggested the photos would be of little use.

"If it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone."

Rachel's mother and stepfather believe she first took heroin when she was 18, after being introduced to it by an older boyfriend who was an addict.

At first she kept her habit under control, was accepted by five universities and went to read psychology and sociology at Bath University.

But her addiction continued, and her parents noticed her personality had changed from fun-loving and outgoing to unhappy, insecure and unreliable.

She dropped out of university after one term and went to live in Exmouth with her boyfriend.

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She died of an overdose in rented rooms in the town in May 2000, aged 21, just days after phoning her parents to say she was leaving her boyfriend and coming home.

Her body lay undiscovered for three days.

The police photograph shows her body keeled over on the floor, with bruised and discoloured flesh and a hypodermic syringe in her hand.

The Department of Health-backed video is to be released to secondary schools in Herefordshire later this year.

The family hopes it will become a national educational resource.