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”
Jeremy
You have no idea how the system works. People get benefits stopped now for up to 13 weeks very often due to DSS mistakes (sending out two letters with two appointments for the same date/time and then penalising the claimant for not attending one of them, for example). They have also stopped the emergency loan system so that claimants are left with the choice of starving, stealing, selling drugs or prostitution. This is why the Red Cross had to intervene.
Dave Cameron
I thought I was the only one! I would love to burn down the walmgate centre.
Jimbo
I just had my benefits stopped today, for mixing up my stupid appointments at the job center and missing one. I just received a letter telling me that I owe 3 weeks jsa as well as £432. I phoned up to see what the £432 was for and was told it was an overpayment back in 2001. They didn’t warn me, just started taking money from my claim. Of course, now I have no jsa or housing benefit. I only started claiming a month ago, after redundancy and a failed freelance career, due to employers outsourcing from developing countries. I hope there are more riots like the ones in London, because I want to burn down as many government buildings as possible. We need a revolution before we are all starved to death. It’s all part of the new world order by the zionist bankers and their puppet politicians. There is no point fighting the system – the leaders need to be taken out and the system needs to crash before it can be redesigned. I am hungry right now, but I am gonna be starving in a few days. Then I will have to inform my landlady and become homeless. The world is going into a global financial crisis on a scale never before seen.
Amaterasu
What about your family, friends ? Foodbanks
Amaterasu
What about your family, friends ? Foodbanks