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”
Joe
People need to feel that they’re in control of their own destiny; people marched yet the ConDems acted regardless of people’s wishes. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world people will take to the streets & cause trouble if power seekers try to impose their will on the masses. Democracies were born to end this constant cycle of power abuse and rebellion (e.g. Runnymede)
Craig Peall
yes the system is harsh, and yes jobs seem to be few and far between and yes there are alot of foreign people working in this country. it is hard to find work and the fat cats getting pad silly amounts of money do not help the situation. but pls take in to account the word unemployed….. for every decent person, out of work and doing everything to find a job to support themselves and family, there are at least 10 lazy useless wankers, expecting something for nothing, living off my income tax and having a better life than me. before you judge the system, judge the worthless cunts that dont want jobs, and get paid alot for not working.
Geoff
He obviously has income if they stopped everything. What’s he spent it on?
northwing
Strange that his penalty, a 12 month community order and 40 hours of unpaid work, is still far less than Cameron suggested be the penalty for the “crime” of being under 25 and unemployed!
Two questions about all this unpaid work around to be used as punishment of criminals/unemployed: 1. Does it benefit private companies that donate to the Tories? 2. As there is clearly so much needing to be done, why not give them a job and pay the going rate? Maybe we wouldn’t have so big a problem then.
brossen99
http://nollyprott.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/green-holocaust-2/