DWP DEATH - Errol Graham 57, weighed four-and-a-half stone (28.5kg) when his body was found by bailiffs who broke into his Nottingham council flat to evict him according to the BBC.

The medical cause of death was recorded as starvation.

An inquest found his loss of income was likely to have "caused huge distress".

Assistant coroner Dr Elizabeth Didcock said: "I do think the sudden loss of all income, and the threat of eviction that followed from it, will have caused huge distress and worry, and significant financial hardship.

His daughter-in-law Alison Turner, 31, said: "We never got the help we needed."

The case was raised in the Commons by Debbie Abrahams MP, where she called for an independent inquiry into cases where people had died after Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) reviews of their care.

Mr Graham's death was in June 2018. He had a history of depression.

He was sectioned in 2015 but returned home to Pine View flats, Radford.

After this he was rarely seen, missing several GP appointments and refusing approaches from mental health teams.

Mr Graham also ignored repeated contact from the DWP and his employment and support allowance (ESA) was stopped in August 2017. This also affected his housing benefit, which ceased on 10 October.

No food in his flat

The last official contact was with housing provider Nottingham City Homes, which heard him shouting and punching a door during a visit in February 2018.

PC Emily Dunn told the inquest there were no signs Mr Graham had been injured but he "looked very thin".

She added there was no food in the property, other than a couple of tins of fish in the cupboard which were five years out of date.

The flat had no gas and probably no electricity, the inquest heard, with "significant mail" by the front door.

Delivering a narrative conclusion, assistant coroner Dr Elizabeth Didcock said: "I do think the sudden loss of all income, and the threat of eviction that followed from it, will have caused huge distress and worry, and significant financial hardship.

"It is likely that this loss of income, and housing, were the final and devastating stressors, that had a significant effect on his mental health.

"The safety net that should surround vulnerable people like Errol in our society had holes within it".

Miss Turner told the BBC: "It is shocking. The system is not fit for purpose.

"Errol left the hospital against the wishes of the family and as soon as he was out he went AWOL.

"We never got the help we needed to help him. We were never kept in the loop about what was happening, we got left out of everything."

The DWP said it was establishing a serious case panel to review its work.

A spokesman added: "This is a tragic, complex case and our sympathies are with Mr Graham's family."

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