Mother slams police after son’s physique lay undiscovered for six days
A mom has slammed police after her son’s physique lay undiscovered at the back of his van parked on a BP storage forecourt for six days.
Don Shepherd was final seen parking his van on the BP on Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, East London, early on February 11.
Described as a ‘glad tree hugger’ by his mom and residing in his van, Mr Sheppherd, 50, was seen on movie making an attempt to purchase a bottle of water – however was informed by an assistant the store was nonetheless closed.
He was then seen on CCTV strolling again to his van. It was the final time he was seen alive. Inside the automobile, he died from a coronary heart assault.
His physique lay at the back of the transit for six days till he was lastly found by police on February 17 – after his frantic mom repeatedly phoned to report him lacking.
Don Shepherd’s physique lay at the back of the transit for six days till he was lastly found by police
Donald and Liz Shepherd of Sussex maintain an image of their son Don who was discovered lifeless in his van
Staff on the storage additionally phoned police asking them to take away the automobile that had been parked on its forecourt all that point – unaware there was a physique inside.
Speaking solely to MailOnline, his mom Liz, 67, from Hastings, East Sussex, blasted officers, saying: ‘I reported him lacking on February tenth.
‘I phoned the police and informed them I could not pay money for him. He was residing in his van so he was shifting round lots, however we have been in common contact. He hadn’t been in contact for a for a couple of days and I used to be frightened about him.
‘I informed them he had final used his financial institution card at a petroleum station in Finsbury Park. I gave them the registration variety of his van – and requested them to take a look at the storage CCTV.
‘But they have been hopeless. We informed them we knew he had been on the storage.
‘I now know that the poor man from the petrol station had additionally repeatedly referred to as them, saying there is a man right here in a van who hasn’t left it for 5 days. But the police by no means got here.’
Eventually, the Met responded to the storage employees and despatched officers down. There, officers have been seen desperately making an attempt to pry the van’s doorways open earlier than paramedics swarmed the scene. A Met Police spokesman stated that they recognized the person and informed his household.
A postmortem confirmed Mr Sheppherd had died from a coronary heart assault.
The Met stated: ‘At 14:12hrs on Saturday, 17 February the physique of a person was found in a automobile in a petroleum storage in Cambridge Heath Road E2.
‘Officers imagine they know who the deceased is and are working to tell the subsequent of kin. At this stage, the dying is just not being handled as suspicious.’
Don is described as a ‘glad tree hugger’ by his mom
Liz and her husband are actually organising his funeral and say they’ve made a proper criticism to the Metropolitan Police relating to the requirements of their investigation
Don Shepherd was final seen parking his van on the BP on Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, East London (pictured), early on February 11
Liz says her son was diabetic and wasn’t residing effectively previous to his dying
London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: ‘We have been referred to as at 2.15pm on February 17 to experiences of an incident on Cambridge Heath Road, E1.
‘We despatched an ambulance crew and paramedic in a fast-response automotive to the scene. Very sadly, an individual was pronounced lifeless on the scene.’
Liz, a retired British Airways hostess, says that her son was diabetic and wasn’t residing effectively previous to his dying.
She continued: ‘He had pulled up on the Sunday night and requested for some water. He was staggering they stated. Then he went into his van.
‘The coroner has launched his physique, and the van remains to be there – it is shameful, a person died there.
‘I knew he was gone as I may see the final time he used his playing cards. The police got here to inform us, however I already knew he was gone. I stated to them ‘why is that this solely occurring six days after I reported him lacking?’
Liz and her husband are actually organising his funeral and say they’ve made a proper criticism to the Metropolitan Police relating to the requirements of their investigation.
‘That van sat there for six days. It may have been crammed with something. Explosives even, the police ought to have come. This isn’t any option to deal with individuals, it is past unhappy, it is heartbreaking for us,’ she added.
