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A diabetic ex-soldier died starving and skint after officials axed his benefits.

David Clapson, 59, was stripped of the cash after missing an ­appointment under harsh Coalition reforms.

He died in Stevenage, Herts, with just £3.44 left in his account.

David once faced death on a daily basis as he served his country loyally in the terror hell of Northern Ireland.

And when he left the Army he went straight into the ­workplace with BT before becoming a full-time carer for his sick mother.

After she went into a home, diabetic David turned to the state for help while he looked for work.

But under the Coalition’s callous new benefits rules he had his £71.70 a week Jobseeker’s Allowance axed – merely because he missed an appointment with an adviser.

Stripped of his income, the 59-year-old could not afford food or electricity and died starving, ­penniless and alone at his home.

His death was from diabetic ­ketoacidosis – caused by not taking his insulin.

Tonight his distraught sister Gill Thompson told how she believes he may have stopped injecting himself with the life-saving drug after becoming so desperate over his lack of cash and work.

(Image: Daily Mirror)

Choking back tears, she said: “I think he just gave up. I want the lessons to be learned. I don’t want anybody else to die. He shouldn’t have died like that. You wouldn’t let an animal die like that, would you?

“I just, I look at food now and think, ‘My brother didn’t have any.’

"My brother was not a scrounger. He was getting £71.70 a week. He was not living on ­champagne and caviar. They should have taken into account his past work and his condition.”

Update: Gill has launched a petition for an inquiry. Read all about it in our Real Britain column. Each week Ros Wynne-Jones highlights how government cuts are affecting the country. Read it at www.mirror.co.uk/realbritain.

Stevenage council leader Sharon Taylor slammed Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith over David’s ­treatment.

She stormed: “He should hang his head in shame. David served his country. Treating him like this is disgusting.

“This tragic death is a direct result of Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare reforms.”

When David died he had just £3.44 to his name, six tea bags, a tin of soup and an out-of-date can of sardines. His electricity card was out of credit meaning the fridge where he should have kept his insulin chilled was not working.

A coroner also found he had no food in his stomach.

A pile of CVs for job applications were found near David’s body.

Gill, 57, demanded a change to the welfare system she believes caused her brother’s death. She said officials knew he was diabetic as he nearly died when his benefits were stopped once before.

(Image: Reuters)

David, of ­Stevenage, Herts, had his benefits axed last summer for missing the ­appointment. There have been more than a million stoppages since the ­Coalition came to power in 2012.

David joined the Royal Signals Corps at 17 and served for two years in Belfast at the height of the Troubles in the 70s. He left as a lance corporal then worked for BT for 16 years.

He later had different jobs until he became his mum’s carer when she got dementia. That ended when she got too ill to stay at home. David took two unpaid ­placements but was denied a third.

Officials wrote to him on June 28 saying his Jobseeker’s Allowance would be stopped from July 12 until August 8. A last payment of £122.10 went in to his account on July 2.

David was found dead on July 20. Gill, from London, wrote to ­officials after his death. She said: “The answers came back, ‘Oh well, we followed procedures.’ Well I’m sorry to say the procedures don’t work if people die.”

Gill also told how David was also ­sanctioned in 2010 after not putting enough information down on a claim form. He fell ill but was rescued by a neighbour.

The DWP insisted he would have been told payments would still be available after sanctions.

A spokesman said: “Claimants can get financial support through the ­hardship fund. People can also appeal against sanctions.”

Update: David Cameron has been slammed for 'brushing off' the death

Plus: Readers on Reddit site react to this story

Comment: Repeated calls for a sanctions inquiry ignored

For this poor man to die in such a disgraceful way is a scandal. But it is sadly not a surprise to hear that the sanctions regime has cost another life.

I have repeatedly warned ministers about the disproportionate effects of sanctions on the poorest and of the inappropriate use of sanctions in Jobcentre Plus. The system has gone dangerously wrong.

At a Work and Pensions Select Committee meeting in November, I demanded Esther McVey launch an independent inquiry into their use. She appeared to agree but the Government has since backtracked.

Instead, on the last day before recess – preventing a discussion – a limited inquiry was published that failed to address many concerns. This was disgraceful arrogance.

If Iain Duncan Smith and Esther McVey have nothing to hide, they should not fear a focused, independent inquiry.