Man Who Lays Dead in Bed for Three Months Sparks Sad Reflection on Uncaring Society

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The body of a 57 year old tenant named Ian Barclay was only discovered when his landlord raised the alarm after the rent had not been paid. The man's body was found in his bed and it thought to have been lying there for at least three months before he was found.

The death of Mr Barclay at his rented home in Harlech, Gwynedd in Wales, was not confirmed by the Dolgellau Coroners Court yet the coroner, Dewi Pritchard Jones commented it on the fact that it was a sad day when a man had died and no one had realised for three months after. He said that it proved the state of the uncaring society in which we live in today. He told BBC News,

"It is a sad reflection on an uncaring society that a man was lying dead in his bed for three months and rotting away when no-one showed any concern or made any enquires about him."

The landlady of the property had been to visit her property when Mr Barclay had been renting about six weeks before she first raised the alarm about her tenant, according to police officer, Eifion Jones. She had thought that on her initial arrival at the property and that there was no answer, she had come to the conclusion that her tenant was out.

She had only decided to raise the alarm when she became not concerned about her tenants welfare, but because the rent became so far in arrears that she wanted to know who was going to pay the rent.

Police then broke into the property and found the body in a single bed. A spokesperson for the police said,

"The property was tidy and there was a chart of the rugby world cup with television listings and reading glasses nearby. There was a calendar on the wall and the dates up to 6 September had all been marked. It was like everything in the property stopped on 6 September. There was a pile of letters and papers on the floor and a bank statement dated 14 September."

The death was concluded as an open verdict and was more than likely that Mr Barclay had simply passed away in his sleep.