A disabled man has been charged with possessing a chemical weapon after he took poison pills at a Job Centre in an attempt to take his life.
David Rollins said he was facing the prospect of losing half of his ‘already stretched income’ when he decided to try and end his life on June 23.
Rollins, who was awaiting a decision on his personal independence payment (PIP), swallowed the tablets at the branch on Wellington Street, Leicester.
He emailed the Disability News Service earlier the same day, blaming his attempt on slow decision making by the Department for Work and Pensions and its assessment providers Maximus and Capita.
He wrote: ‘I already know from the experiences of my friends where this is going, and I will not starve to death.
A man was charged with possessing a chemical weapon after attempting to take his life at a Job Centre (pictured) in Leicester
‘Without the encroaching sense of impending dread caused by the prospect of losing half of an already stretched income I would not be doing this.’
Aside from his pip claim, Rollins was also told he needed a work capability assessment (WCA), and said he feared that he would lose some of his Universal Credit payment.
WCAs identify which conditions someone must comply with to continue seeking Universal Credit. These conditions can include attending interviews and training, and an expectation to search for work for a minimum number of hours per week.
He said: ‘Without a pip and esa assessment either or both of which will destroy the life I have struggled to build I would not be doing this.’
Rollins insisted his case was a ‘drop in the ocean’ and said he had spent 10 years assisting other disabled people claim benefits, adding that many had successfully appealed PIP and WCA decisions after DWP was ‘lied to’ by its assessors.
He further accused DWP departments of acting ‘openly in tacit agreement, underscoring and zero-ing claimants’.
He said that he and his friends ‘dreaded’ letters from DWP, because they ‘dismissed’ their symptoms of poor mental health and fibromyalgia – a chronic condition which causes widespread pain all over the body.
One of his friends who suffers from cerebral palsy had received a notice from DWP to say it had removed his previous PIP, despite it having been awarded by a tribunal, he said.
Rollins, who has spent the six months since his suicide attempt in prison, said he had informed DWP on his own case that he was suicidal and he shouldn’t be forced to take a WCA, but received an automated response and the form anyway.
Rollins pleaded guilty ot possessing a chemical weapon at Leicester Crown Court on Monday.
The jobseeker was also charged for producing a chemical weapon and intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance.
- For help and support contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org