A homeless man believes he was poisoned with arsenic by someone who gave him a plate of chips.

The man, in his 30s, woke up in hospital in Liverpool on Sunday and was told by doctors he had poison in his system.

The last thing he remembers is being given the food in Liverpool city centre and said police are now investigating.

The man remembers being handed some chips and the next thing he was waking up in hospital (Picture: Liverpool Echo)

Michelle Langan, who runs the Papercup Project in Liverpool, described the attack as ‘calculated and evil’ (Picture: Liverpool Echo)

Homeless outreach worker Michelle Langan regularly visits the man while running The Papercup Project, which takes food and drink to rough sleepers across Liverpool.


She said: ‘He said he woke up in hospital today and they told him he had arsenic in his system – someone had sprinkled it on the chips, he reckoned.’



Michelle said it’s not the first time rough sleepers have been targeted while on the street.

‘I’m shocked to be honest – in all the years we have heard some horrible stuff, but this seems more calculated and evil,’ she said.

‘I’m just glad he was OK – it could have been a horrible ending to the story.’

In November, a homeless man had a lit firework placed in his trouser pocket by someone passing by, which left him with burns and damaged clothes.

Liverpool’s Mayor Joe Anderson has joined calls for the government to class attacks on the homeless as hate crimes.

Last year a man left a note thanking whoever urinated on all his possessions in Bournemouth (Picture: Wessex News)

He urged Home Secretary Sajid Javid to change the law after hearing regular reports of rough sleepers being beaten, urinated on and sexually assaulted.

Last year, Crisis revealed more than one in three homeless people were deliberately hit, kicked or experience another form of violence – including having things thrown at them or being urinated on.

Almost one in 20 rough sleepers were the victims of sexual assault, the charity found.

Crisis director of police Matt Downie said: ‘For anyone sleeping on the street, life can be a struggle just to survive.

‘Rough sleepers are 17 times more likely to be victims of violence and 15 times more likely to suffer abuse.

‘In the short term, it’s vital that the victims of these disproportionately frequent attacks feel able to approach the authorities for support.

‘But ultimately, they must also be given the dedicated help they need to leave the streets behind for good.’

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