Sunday, April 7, 2013

Aspiring U.K. film mkaker dies while documenting the homeless

An aspiring film-maker believed to have been sleeping rough on the streets to document the plight of homeless people and the impact of the "bedroom tax" has been found dead in a derelict hostel just three days after embarking on his project.
Lee Halpin, 26, a radio presenter who edited an arts magazine and had completed a creative writing MA, was found in the boarded-up building in Newcastle-upon-Tyne after deciding to immerse himself for a week in the world of the those living on the streets in the city.
He was making the documentary after applying for a place on an investigative journalism scheme run by Channel 4, and hoped it would demonstrate the "fearless pursuit of a story" which the scheme required of applicants.
The "bedroom tax" is part of the U.K.'s welfare reforms that will cut the amount of benefit that people can get if they are deemed to have a spare bedroom in their council or housing association home. This measure has applied to housing benefit claimants of working age from 1 April 2013.
No cause of death has yet been established and a postmortem will be held early next week. Two men, aged 26 and 30, have been arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug and bailed pending further inquiries, the Guardian newspaper reports.
More from the Guardian

No comments:

Blog Archive