Dad Killed Himself After DWP Said He Was ‘Not Unwell Enough’ For Benefits
Monday 24 May, 2021 Written by Joe Roberts, Metro Newspaper
CLAIMENT SUICIDE - A devoted father-of-three killed himself a month after his benefits were stopped by the Department for Work and Pensions. Lee Tarpey, 40, from St Helens, died after taking an overdose of medication he had been prescribed for a number of health problems. He had been a builder for many years but had a heart attack in 2015 which saw him fitted with three stents. He also suffered with angina and diabetes, the Liverpool Echo reports. He told his wife Kerrie that he felt he was a drain on her as he could not provide for his family.
She said there is not a day goes by that she doesn’t think about her husband and feels constant anger for what happened to him. She added: ‘I’ve got so much anger inside me, my husband should still be here, he was my arms and I was his leg, we were all each other knew.’
A DWP spokesperson said: ‘Our sincere condolences are with Mr Tarpey’s family. ‘Our decisions are made using information that’s available to us at the time from a person’s GP or medical specialist to help ensure people receive all the financial support they are entitled to.’
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