‘One of the most shocking cases of neglect I have ever seen’: Vulnerable man’s home trashed as he waited a year for council to fix door

A man’s council home that he was “bullied” out of has been trashed as he claims he couldn’t go back there for a year as the town hall failed to secure it.

Peter McKearney, 42, suffers from mental and physical health issues, and claims he was forced out of his own home on the Dolphin Tower Estate in Deptford by thugs who preyed on him as he is vulnerable.

One man persuaded Mr McKearney to let him stay the night, which led him to inviting friends to the property, where they allegedly took drugs and vandalised the home.

When Mr McKearney attempted to lock the men out, they broke the door down and every time the door was fixed by Lewisham Homes, the landlord, they would break it down again, forcing Mr McKearney to move in with his sister.

“I feel like hanging myself. It’s absolutely horrendous,” said Mr McKearney. “I would just like to get my own little place where I can look after myself, where I’m safe.”

Mr McKearney has spent the past year at his sister’s house in Lewisham while paying full rent on the Dolphin Tower property, and claims he has been waiting all that time for Lewisham Homes to replace the door so he can return home.

Six weeks ago, Mr McKearney’s sister died and he found her body in the living room which caused him “great distress”.

A week later he was informed that the door had been replaced, and when he returned home he found the property had been trashed, with rubbish and human waste found throughout.

He has since returned to his sister’s house, which has been infested with vermin since she died, where he says he is waiting for Lewisham council to place him elsewhere, but in the past five weeks it has not managed to.

Chris Montgomery, 40, who lives in the same road as Mr McKearney’s sister and has been his carer for seven years, said it was “deeply upsetting, disturbing and shocking”.

He said: “What’s even more shocking is that Lewisham Homes’ customer relations team and numerous housing officers were fully acquainted with every detail of this case for more than a year and yet failed to act, which is a complete contravention to their own published policy on ‘caring for their vulnerable tenants’.

“This is one of the most shocking cases of neglect I have ever seen. Great efforts were made to bring Peter’s plight to the attention of Lewisham Homes.

“Even if the situation is rectified and Peter is helped, with constant promises of a new home, Lewisham Homes still have yet to explain why when they had full knowledge of this case not a single thing was done for an entire year.

“I truly hope for Peter’s sake that they will now finally take this long overdue and urgent case seriously, do their job and actually act so this gentleman can finally have a decent home and live in peace and safety.”

A Lewisham Homes spokesman said: “We have been working with the tenant and have made an offer of temporary accommodation.

“The door to their property has been replaced and the locks changed.

“We will continue supporting the tenant to resolve their housing situation and identify any other support that is required.”

Pictured top: Mr McKearney’s property trashed by thugs (Picture: Chris Montgomery)