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Stefan Tomkins as a youngster View gallery (total of 2 images)

Tragedy of man killed in bin horror

Exclusive by John Scheerhout and Neal Keeling

November 27, 2009

A HOMELESS man crushed to death in the back of a bin lorry was a former university student whose promising life was destroyed by drink and drugs.

Stefan Tomkins, 31, was killed after he fell asleep in an industrial refuse container as he sheltered from the rain. He was unable to escape when the bin was emptied into the back of a truck containing a powerful crusher.

It is understood Stefan was suffocated as the rubbish was packed around him. The truck collected waste from up to 70 sites around Stockport.

Grieving

Parents' anguish over loss of promising son

A worker at a tip in Ardwick, Manchester noticed a leg sticking out of a digger's bucket just before it was about to be dumped on another truck bound for a landfill site.

Today, his grieving parents told how their 'beautiful boy' had been destroyed by drink and drugs and, backed by police and a charity for the homeless, warned vagrants of the perils of sleeping in bins.

Stefan's family said: "It's a very, very sad waste of a young life. We never stopped believing in him. We always believed he would change."

No-one knows which of the bins at industrial and commercial sites around Stockport Stefan had crawled into, although police suspect he probably climbed in during Tuesday night as the rain lashed down. He was said to have also lived in the Chorlton area.

Tragic

Tez Clegg, an outreach worker with Lifeshare, a Manchester-based charity for the homeless, said: "It is absolutely tragic that this could happen in this day and age. It is desperately sad that someone should have to sleep in a bin to get shelter.

"But sometimes people who are homeless can find it hard to get accommodation in a hostel. If they have a criminal record, some places will not accept them.

"But many of the homeless don't sleep on the streets of the city centre - it is too dangerous. Homeless people are often a target for violence.

"We supported a 16-year-old boy who had been sleeping in a bin. He was dragged from the bin and raped."

Lifeshare is based in Holdsworth Street, Manchester, off Oldham Street. and can be contacted on 0161 235 0744.

Parents' anguish over loss of promising son

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The council should be ashamed that homeless people are driven to sleep in these terrible places. Mind you, it wont be doing anything about the situation as it is too busy spending £20 on the new stadium. Priorities right as usual.

blizzard, derbyshire
22/12/2009 at 10:46

I met Stefan in August this year when we were on the same hospital ward together for a week. You learn a lot about someone when you spent 24 hours a day together. We had a good laugh even though we were in hospital. He was well liked by the staff. He had a couple of telephone calls from his mum which really made his day. He left hopsital the day before me with not much hope for where he was going to end up. I gave him my telephone number and really hoped that things would change for the better for him. I wish I could have done more for him as help is what he really needed. I will miss him. Does anyone know when and where his funeral is?

Roy T, Sale
3/12/2009 at 22:33

Stefan was a tormented soul. He had no support from his family and only had had a couple of us to depend on. He suffered from a severe case of OCD and alcoholism and the two together was a horrible mix for him. He was also an aspiring writer, a lover of music, and a big fan of the show MASH. He had only been made homeless this year and it breaks my heart that the city of Manchester did not do more for him. I hope where ever he is, he's at peace finally. Rest in peace Cowboy.

Jamie Taylor
2/12/2009 at 17:03

So sad and so tragic,

My condolences to his family

Tracey Mills

Squab, Stockport
30/11/2009 at 20:32

Stefan appears to have had a tormented life for such a long time. My heart is heavy and sad for the tragic way his life ended. I pray his life of torment is finally over and he is FINALLY able to rest in peace. So many let him down throughout his life, they know who they are. His love of The Beatles and Jamie made us friends. I only hope that as a result of this tragedy, the city of Manchester will provide hope and safety for the homeless and Stef's life and death will not have been in vain.

Mary Carter
28/11/2009 at 23:31

Stefan was a family friend. We will never know why his life led him down the path of alcohol and drugs. Now that he is free of his demons, we sincerely hope that he is at peace. He was a gentle soul who deserves our love and compassion, no-one should die in such tragic circumstances. Sheila and Steve Longden

Sheila Longden
28/11/2009 at 09:08

gill thompson, well put, you speak a lot of sense.

Unite against the UAF,
28/11/2009 at 00:58

:( I met Stefan by chance in a bar a good few months back. He seemed a troubled but essentially nice lad and I sat and had a chat with him before he went off into the night. I am shocked and very sad to read this news. RIP Stefan.

LRBLUE, Manchester
27/11/2009 at 20:33

As a landlord of a hostel, we don't ask for references or a deposit and accept that ID comes in short supply for homeless people. The Town Hall is a shambles and used to copy and validate ID for homeless people only to be told by another area of the council to stop doing it! Landlords need ID so they can claim Housing Benefit to pay rent. The sad fact is some homeless people flirt from one hostel to another because their drink or drugs come first. There are beds out there, we have had free beds for weeks. £700m and rising......, Sale

Do you mean free beds, or empty beds? Also, can you give us a run down of some of the rules you do have that would prevent a homeless person spending the night in your hostel? It seems a bit too simple to say that their drugs and drink come first. Perhaps they do come first but does your hostel come second? Or is it against the rules to be intoxicated or suspected of being high on drugs if a person wants to spend the night there? I would like abit of clarification, because if that is the case then a homeless hostel that forbids homeless people with substance addictions is a bit like having an ashtray on a motorbike.

salfordrat
27/11/2009 at 19:47

This is really tragic story, my heart go's out to all concerned. I use to work for The Big Issue in the North and during that time learnt that there are so many reasons why people become homeless, drink and drugs being largely to blame, but then there are also numerous reasons why people use drink and drugs, it is such a vicious circle. But i also learnt that fear of responsibility and securtiy was one of the main reasons why people become and much of the time, choose to remain homeless, lots of people in our society fear loss, therefore feel the less they have to lose, the better off they are. Also there are lots of people who use drink and drugs and manage to hold down steady jobs and stay housed. Every problem has its own root cause!

gill thompson
27/11/2009 at 17:54

Marquis de Sade et la petit monge tout, i'm not judging you but no friend of mine would be climbing over park fences to sleep in tent's they would be sleeping in my home maybe that what your friend needed not money or food but a warm place to stay and a shoulder to lean and cry on, a very sad tale none the less

peter-pie-eater, Wigan
27/11/2009 at 17:46

This society makes me sick, one lot with everything another with nothing, they kick you into the gutter and blame you for being there and of course they do not want competition for their privileges.

CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside
27/11/2009 at 17:39

This shows what happens what probably started with a sociable drink and smoke at uni (to be one of the lads) spirals out of control. This could be anybody's son. A lovely lad and a terrible waste of life. All through a poison called alcohol. The boy takes a drink, then the drink takes the man. I wish the MEN would start a fund in his name to help the local homeless. I for one would give gladly as, I am sure, would a lot of the contributors on here. RIP son.

Al Capone of Atherton, Atherton
27/11/2009 at 16:36

There is about 1 million vacant properties in Manchester, so why don't the council make these landlords refurnish these properties then there is no excuse for people to be homeless. It is a tragic story.

Joe Pub, Manchester
27/11/2009 at 16:11

Marquis De Sade at 14.57 today, I totally agree with your comments, anyone can become homeless and dreams can be shattered. Life in 2009 is a lot sadder than it use to be as everyone is drowning in greed and dont appear to care about the vulnerable often phrasing the term its their own fault , its not its society's fault and we are all part of scoiety

Proper Sentences
27/11/2009 at 15:42

I wonder if all the people condemming the people who have moved into the empty pub still agree with them being chucked out after reading this story?

So sad.

fande koi
27/11/2009 at 15:30

£700m and rising......, Sale
27/11/2009 at 15:01

So many things lead to homelessness. I had a friend from a wealthy family who decided not to follow in the family business and became a teacher. He was an absolutely great teacher and shunned the wealth of his family because he sincerely cared about doing good. We used to have conversations about 'God' and the 'meaning of life' and always ended up agreeing that we felt there was a reason for doing good, but perhaps not a Godly one. However, his intensity of caring led him to drink when people upset him or when he felt that he wasn't making an impact. Some years ago, he was convicted of drink driving twice in a short period of time(I'm not justifying it). He had split up with his wife and was being bullied at work by an terrible line manager, hiding her own incompetence. He lost his job and ended up climbing over the railings of parks to sleep in a tent. I used to give him food and money. After months of living like this he began to try drugs, because they made him forget. I used to see him sitting in the park reading and talking to imaginery kids in an imaginery classroom. People passing him would have thought that he was insane and perhaps he was. However, they often did not have first class degree from Cambridge in a 'proper subject' like he did and had not turned their back on an easy life as a millionaire because of a desire to do good. My friend disappeared three years ago and I heard a rumour that he is dead. The point is, his dreams were shattered and when that happens life can often turn into a tragic spiral. Trust me, if it could happen to him it could happen to anybody.

Marquis de Sade et la petit monge tout,
27/11/2009 at 14:57

Fi barns, I have been homeless myself, most long term homeless people know exactly where all the hostels are in the manchester area, thay also know that its not always possible to get into them for one reason or another, thay in the main part also know how the whole system works and if thay need help thay know exactly were to go, some of the police im sure think thay are doing good but the problem is people dont trust them and think that although the police want to be seen as being helpful to the homeless community, but more sceptical people realise that thay are far more concerned about keeping the city centre clear for the tourists and the shoppers, the homeless dont fit in with the trendy image of manchester, and are forced to sleep in more risky places becouse of this.

Brock, Hulme
27/11/2009 at 14:19

BDZ, where are these people meant to sleep? The police constantly move them off the streets so the homeless end up sleeping in bins so thay are not spotted and can get some rest, and the police nowadays are trying so hard to be seen as community minded and helpful to the general public its a PR stunt, that the homeless make a easy and visable target to help improve there dreadful image. Let charities and the council deal with the homeless and the police should try fighting real crime for a change.

Brock, Hulme
27/11/2009 at 13:55

Brock, I wonder where your experiece of such police approach comes from? As a police officer myself I have on numeros occassions had to locate emergency shelter for homeless people in the early hours. Rest assured we don't carry leaflets.

But I think that you've detracted from the point to this tragic story. Its not about placing responsibility/blame on the one person/organisation its aout highlighting the horrific truth about the levels of homeless people out there and the circumstances that lead to that.

fi barnes
27/11/2009 at 13:49

The Police do what they're told if they are told to move on and arrest they move on and arrest, ASBO's are issued and fines are given. Which results in more crime and even more vulnerable people posibly having to resort to prostitution to raise money to survive street homelessness. What a shame the MP's aren't forced to hand back all the money they have ripped off the tax payers and it could be used to help people who need a room to get their lives back on track instead of second homes that aren't being used for educated fools to meet their lovers. Councils meet regularly with voluntary underfunded agencies who provide their statistics etc to these multi agency groups then the Chair of the group will say thanks write a meaningless strategy and look forward to their £35,000 pa salaries and sleep tight in their warm beds at night.

Dave Fogg,
27/11/2009 at 13:40

Brock - a man gets killed tragically after sleeping in a bin, so the police advise people not to sleep in bins, how exactly are the police being harsh? It's not their fault there are not enough homeless shelters in the city.

BDZ, UK
27/11/2009 at 13:32

A sad tale of how life can be destroyed from a promising career from university to drug usage and drink. Then to become a wastrel. If anything that should be encourage, the use of a drop in centre for recovery, should be paramount on this council list this coming month.

Englisc Stannes, North Manchester
27/11/2009 at 13:04

The police are so heartless its beyond belief, if you are homeless found asleep at 2 am on a raining sunday morning thay will give you a few pointless self help leaflets and move you on, much good that will do at that time of day! Thats why these poor messed up people often sleep in bins, thay have no choice, there are only a certain amount of hostel beds in manchester and thay go very quickly and some times there is no where to go but the streets. The police need to get real and stop thinking there tough hard line, on people already bowed down by mental illness or drugs is doing anything but harm to there already tarnished reputatation.

Brock, Hulme
27/11/2009 at 13:03

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Tragedy of man killed in bin horror

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