'Starving' Blackburn man turned to shoplifting after benefits stopped

[super jumbe]

A 42-YEAR-OLD man admitted to police he had gone out with the intention of stealing because he was ?starving? and needed money to buy food.

Blackburn magistrates heard Joseph Appleton had lost two and a half stones since his benefits were stopped.

And the chairman of the magistrates said they realised the ?sense of desperation? he must have felt.

?It is quite appalling that you could be in this situation in the 21st century,? he said. ?We accept you committed this theft simply in order to feed yourself.?

?He has lost two and a half stone in weight in the last couple of months and has had a real struggle,? said Mr Pickup. ?Since the commission of this offence he has been granted a ?30 a week hardship payment and he has been referred to a church organisation which has been giving him food parcels.?

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/blackburn/10495247._Starving__Blackburn_man_turned_to_shoplifting_after_benefits_stopped/

[Wolfpack]

He could of got a job? or maybe went to a soup kitchen? How about his family? He could of done something other than steal. He's a loser and deserves to be in jail. Atleast he will get 3 meals a day.

[super jumbe]

He wanted to go to jail free 3 meals a day, but was refused by judge on the ground he was not fit to go to prison and to go to work; we would not have broken the law by begging in the third world.

[Kalipo]

Not blaming this on the EU.. but they're not doing nothing about it are they?? 26million people accross the hole of the EU unemployed and what do they do?? hold another summit.. then you have Westminster.. Just as bad....

Take a look around our cities and see just what millions died for in 2 world wars to keep our way of life safe ,all the spineless crowd up in Westminster who have allowed this to happen should be put on trial and no good saying it was happening before they got in they sure as hell have not tried to put things right why should we have those who get told they can come here with out asking the people first and then turn our country side into concrete jungles if our borders had been maned right we would not need so many houses what other country in the E.U. would spoil there lovely countries for others .

[Wolfpack]

Not blaming this on the EU.. but they're not doing nothing about it are they?? 26million people accross the hole of the EU unemployed and what do they do?? hold another summit.. then you have Westminster.. Just as bad....

Take a look around our cities and see just what millions died for in 2 world wars to keep our way of life safe ,all the spineless crowd up in Westminster who have allowed this to happen should be put on trial and no good saying it was happening before they got in they sure as hell have not tried to put things right why should we have those who get told they can come here with out asking the people first and then turn our country side into concrete jungles if our borders had been maned right we would not need so many houses what other country in the E.U. would spoil there lovely countries for others .

The problem with the unemployment is we progress as a society were things that took 5 people to to now only takes 1 person to do. Immigration plays a big part to when you take in the worlds poor you also end up displacing your own citizens cause the immigrants legal and illegal take jobs away from the natives. I'll tell you the whole world's problems is the stupid Global economy. I feel bad for the person who though he needed to steal for food but like i said before he had other choices first. Also your never going to solve the worlds problems. Just worry about what is going on in your world. Make your country come first before anyone else.

[GastonJ]

Not blaming this on the EU.. but they're not doing nothing about it are they?? 26million people accross the hole of the EU unemployed and what do they do?? hold another summit.. then you have Westminster.. Just as bad....

Take a look around our cities and see just what millions died for in 2 world wars to keep our way of life safe ,all the spineless crowd up in Westminster who have allowed this to happen should be put on trial and no good saying it was happening before they got in they sure as hell have not tried to put things right why should we have those who get told they can come here with out asking the people first and then turn our country side into concrete jungles if our borders had been maned right we would not need so many houses what other country in the E.U. would spoil there lovely countries for others .

You keep harping on about the borders and immigrants as if it's a new thing. The EU enacted the freedom of movement to work in 1968 *before* Ted Heath signed us up for the EU, and he knew that it would mean free movement within the EU. Every government since then has known we signed up for it, what you're seeing now is the government of the day's propaganda machine going into overdrive to deflect attention away from it's failure to actually get the country back on it's feet. All I've seen is cuts here and there, not reduction in borrowing or deficit really - which helps Joe Public in no way at all, however the banks and businesses are doing well out of it tyvm.....

[Canker_Canison]

The problem with the unemployment is we progress as a society were things that took 5 people to to now only takes 1 person to do.

You have obviously never looked at how government & councils are run. Instead of one person doing the work of five people, it's more like five people doing the work of one person...but none of them do it correctly.

Many years ago a friend left the call centre we were in so she could take a better job for a local council. She was appalled at what she found. The previous person worked all day & sometimes didn't get all the work done, my friend had finished all the days allotted work by dinner time & was bored all afternoon.


Getting back on track, this sort of thing is going to happen more & more. Benefits stopped for stupid reasons that even a child could see the errors in. I'm shocked the court system isn't shouting about this more with the influx of appeals against ATOS causing them huge problems.

[Kalipo]

You have obviously never looked at how government & councils are run. Instead of one person doing the work of five people, it's more like five people doing the work of one person...but none of them do it correctly.

Many years ago a friend left the call centre we were in so she could take a better job for a local council. She was appalled at what she found. The previous person worked all day & sometimes didn't get all the work done, my friend had finished all the days allotted work by dinner time & was bored all afternoon.


Getting back on track, this sort of thing is going to happen more & more. Benefits stopped for stupid reasons that even a child could see the errors in. I'm shocked the court system isn't shouting about this more with the influx of appeals against ATOS causing them huge problems.

It would seem the banks are in charge in this communist/commercial country! the 2 don't work together but somehow they do..

The banks rape the people, and toss them back to the government to look after with benefits etc.. Even now at local supermarkets they're collecting for food banks! It would seem even the government don't even want to look after the penniless people! The conservatives only 2-3 weeks ago pledged to reopen work houses.. The country is going to the pits..

I wash my hands of them both. They certainly do not represent or speak for me. If, when the time comes, on a wind of change, it's possible to rid ourselves of
this sick pantomime, I know who's side I'm on. E-petitions, demonstrations, the ballot box are all ignored or nullified by a rigged
system.

Mass civil disobedience, a determined passive resistance. Organise and resist, The time must come sooner rather than later to over throw the system. It will be more difficult still if its left too long..

Now Labour are distancing themselves from the trade unions, labour have no chance of winning the next elections.. (wouldnt want them in anyway).. so there will be only UKIP and the conservatives.. LIBDEM.. ?? no idea what these clowns want!

You can picture dictator Cameron rubbing his hands over the hole saga..!

[nara]

...when you take in the worlds poor you also end up displacing your own citizens cause the immigrants legal and illegal take jobs away from the natives.

Utter nonsense! Immigrants are willing to do the menial jobs that the spoiled workshy natives can't be arsed getting out of bed to do.

[thered]

Very true,

And more food banks mean no need for weekly shop, so can spend more on white lightning


Budget ffs

[super jumbe]

The original topic on argument was in the 21st century why was the benefit stopped? Who runs the benefit system should think by stopping benefit to a person it self would consider killing the person, who has been written off., was the person a scroungers? ffs do we believe in human rights any more?

[GastonJ]

The original topic on argument was in the 21st century why was the benefit stopped? Who runs the benefit system should think by stopping benefit to a person it self would consider killing the person, who has been written off., was the person a scroungers? ffs do we believe in human rights any more?

It's "what's in it for me Britain mentality" once more, or "f**k you as long as I'm alright" - it's been fostered since 2010, bit of a coincidence there.

I have no idea why his benefit was stopped, however when people get 0 money they will do what they can to survive, or they will die. Not everyone has a family to fall back on in hard times, and not every family is in a position to help out another family member anyway. The ?30 a week hardship allowance may pay for him to eat, but since it won't pay for anywhere to live, let alone cook he'll probably end up having to spend most of it on takeaways, which are unhealthy and expensive, and end up sleeping rough. There should be a safety net whereby he at least gets food and accommodation - even if that means people in his situation get no actual money in their pocket and that shouldn't be charities having to pay for it.

[bobwill]

Utter nonsense! Immigrants are willing to do the menial jobs that the spoiled workshy natives can't be arsed getting out of bed to do.

That prove that the benefits for people out of work in UK are to high if they were hungry they would do the menial jobs until a better job became available .The immigrants can not get benefits in UK until they work then they get tax credits and help with rent if they dont earn enough

[thered]

It's "what's in it for me Britain mentality" once more, or "f**k you as long as I'm alright" - it's been fostered since 2010, bit of a coincidence there.

I have no idea why his benefit was stopped, however when people get 0 money they will do what they can to survive, or they will die. Not everyone has a family to fall back on in hard times, and not every family is in a position to help out another family member anyway. The ?30 a week hardship allowance may pay for him to eat, but since it won't pay for anywhere to live, let alone cook he'll probably end up having to spend most of it on takeaways, which are unhealthy and expensive, and end up sleeping rough. There should be a safety net whereby he at least gets food and accommodation - even if that means people in his situation get no actual money in their pocket and that shouldn't be charities having to pay for it.

Yes why does benefit get stopped??????

fiddling or failure to sign on usually


What a disgrace not giving him money, we should give him more and scrap rules altogether

FREE MONEY FOR ALL, take as much as you like no questions asked


I bet it was not the first time he had shop lifted in his life, he used it as an excuse

and as ever with soft cock Britain somehow the do good brigade have it as the government and taxpayers fault, that he stole

[GastonJ]

I think if you read my comment carefully you'll see that I never suggested giving him money, or anyone for that matter. Hence food and accommodation rather than giving money in such cases. Unless you know him you can't really comment on a specific case as to why his money was stopped, I was generalising, and unless you know his case then you are just making off the cuff remarks rather than anything constructive. He may or may not be using it as an excuse, neither you or I know. It is also true to say that as the recession bites there will be more crimes committed and the crime rate will continue to rise, probably more so once the police forces contract.