An unemployed man who had not eaten for three days set fire to a job centre in order to get a hot meal in police custody, according to the Manchester Evening News.
An unemployed man who had not eaten for three days because his benefits had been stopped set fire to a job centre in order to get a hot meal in police custody, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Bee O’Brien, 49, set fire to the customer telephones at a jobcentre in Moss side after a row about his benefits.
O’Brien told police he would “commit a crime and get arrested. I need some food”.
According to the Evening News:
‘O’Brien, of Camelford Close, Hulme, admitted criminal damage, attempted arson, and using threatening words and behaviour when he appeared before Manchester magistrates.
Gina Clayton, defending, said: “His benefits had been stopped for some reason and he hadn’t eaten for three days. He was simply desperate for some food. He went to the job centre to get his payments and lost his temper.
“He was aware that if he was arrested he would have been given food at the police station.”’
O’Brien was given a 12 month community order and ordered to do 40 hours unpaid work.
Last month a disabled man took his own life after worrying about how he would manage once his benefits were stopped.
128 Responses to “Tory Britain: Man sets fire to job centre after not eating for three days”
julie
Thats what sparked it initially but it soon became about more than that
julie
but by doing it this way, he isnt just another crime statistic as someone else has said, he has brought it to the publics attention
Hatch
We are all living in an open prison , in real prison you have more rights !
SgtVimes
We should remember that the people having to apply these sanctions are not those who made the decisions. Most Job Centre staff are of a low grade and therefore not well paid but spend their days dealing with desparate people to the best of their ability. As they say, “don’t shoot the messanger”.
SgtVimes
We should remember that the people having to apply these sanctions are not those who made the decisions. Most Job Centre staff are of a low grade and therefore not well paid but spend their days dealing with desparate people to the best of their ability. As they say, “don’t shoot the messanger”.