The squalor 999 crew found in dying man’s home

PICTURES emerged yesterday of the squalid scene two ambulance workers faced at the home of a dying man after they were arrested on suspicion of neglecting him.

The two men were sent to Barry Baker’s home in Brighton, East Sussex, on November 29 after he dialled 999 saying he thought he was having a heart attack. It is understood Mr Baker, 59, who lived alone, collapsed while on the phone to emergency controllers but the line to the control centre remained open when the crew arrived.

It has been alleged that operators heard the ambulancemen make derogatory comments about the untidy state of Mr Baker’s home.

The men, aged 35 and 44, and employees of South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust, were arrested on suspicion of neglecting to perform a duty in a public office contrary to common law on December 5.

Both men have been suspended from their jobs and freed on bail by officers from Sussex Police until later this month while investigations are conducted. No charges have been made.

Before and after pictures of Mr Baker’s home were released yesterday by Brighton-based A2b Clearances, which cleared the property.

One image shows boxes, papers and other belongings scattered across the room, while another shows what appears to be a bed piled with clothes and boxes.

On its website, at www.brightonhouseclearance.co.uk, it reads: “Mr Baker was believed to be a kind, and much-liked member of the community according to his neighbours.”

The clearance took place over two days just before Christmas, said A2b Clearances director Chris Angel.

An inquest into the death of Mr Baker was opened by the Brighton and Hove Coroner on December 17 and adjourned pending investigations.

Neighbours of Mr Baker have described him as a civil servant who had lived alone in his childhood home following his parents’ deaths.