Homeless man dies in Burger King doorway days after making tragic remark

Flowers and handwritten tributes have been to a homeless man who died whereas sleeping tough outdoors a Burger King on the freezing streets.

Richard O’Brien, 56, was discovered lifeless simply days after he hit again at feedback made by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who claimed that homelessness was a “lifestyle choice”.

Richard mentioned he would select from three locations to sleep when evening falls, utilizing cardboard, blankets and a sleeping bag to maintain himself sheltered from the icy chilly circumstances. He would usually keep within the entrance of Burger King, which was the place he was discovered lifeless on November 27.

Gary Mason, one among Richard’s pals, advised the BBC he raised the alarm when Richard turned unwell. He mentioned: “He woke me up and said ‘Ga, I can’t move’. He was in the doorway of Burger King with a skinny sheet over him and he didn’t look well. I tried to warm him up, I thought he’d bounce back but he didn’t.”

South Wales Police confirmed a person had died after an ambulance was referred to as to Queen Street in Cardiff in the course of the early hours of November 27. They mentioned that there have been “no suspicious circumstances” and inquiries have been being made to hint subsequent of kin.

Touchingly, his pals have posted tributes on an electrical energy field near the Burger King the place he died. They have written messages to Paddy, the nickname Richard was given due to his Irish roots, and have left floral tributes close to the scene. A good friend mentioned: “He was a funny little thing, he used to make you giggle, he was a nice person, a really nice man.”

Richard advised Wales Online he had been homeless “on and off” for 30 years and had by no means used a tent. He mentioned: “I wouldn’t sleep in a tent even if you gave me one…It’s dangerous for starters – anyone could come and take a match or a lighter while you’re in it. It’s happened before – not to me, but I know others it has on two occasions.”

Before he was homeless, Richard was married with 4 children and dwelling in Bristol. “But things turned for the worse and the truth is, I’m more to blame than anything, because I was in and out of jail, and she [my ex-wife] couldn’t hack it, so she went with the next man. So that was it – it was game over,” he recalled.

He was first homeless on the streets of Bristol, after which London. “I stayed in London for 12 years – homeless on the streets of London. Again, it’s part of my life,” he mentioned.

After London, he moved to Cardiff, the place he had been dwelling for across the final 16 years. Over the a long time he had stayed in hostels “here and there in between…four weeks here, two weeks there”. The final time he was in a single was 4 months in the past.

On the feedback from former Home Secretary Suella Braverman that tough sleeping was a “lifestyle choice”, he mentioned: “I wouldn’t agree with that. I’m not saying people don’t have places – some people do, and whether they want to choose to be on the pavement, that’s up to them. But the fact is, there are people out here who haven’t got anywhere – and can’t get anywhere, so they have no choice, they have to be on this pavement.”