A lonely homeless man who "just wanted a hug" had his sleeping bag set alight by thugs, according to outreach workers.
The victim was discovered 'cowering in a shop front' by volunteers in Liverpool this week. report the ECHO.
Becky Houghton is a volunteer with the Papercup Project, a team of people who head around the city centre every week to help rough sleepers, began chatting to the man who told them of the incident.
The team had first met the chap last month when he revealed to Papercup founder Michelle Langan how lonely he was living on the streets.
She said: "I came over and saw he was hugging Michelle really tight, he didn't want to let go.
"When we spoke to him he told us that he was really lonely and just wanted a hug."
Becky said that they didn't see the man again until this week when they were made aware of his experience.
She said: "I saw a man slumped in one of the shop fronts near Primark and I approached him, I thought he was asleep.
"As I got closer I could see lots of items scattered all around where he was lying and I started speaking to him.
"He told me that recently someone had come up to him and chucked around all his property, the things he carried around with him while he's on the streets.
"For some reason they had emptied his things all around him."
She added: "Then he told me that they had set his sleeping bag on fire - he lifted up his legs to show me the sleeping bag all burnt and in tatters - he said it had burnt some of his legs as well."
Becky said the man could not be clear about exactly when the attack had happened - but he said he had not been to seek treatment of reported the incident to police.
She said: "He seemed to just be trying to deal with it on his own, it was so heartbreaking to see.
"I just don't understand how anyone could do something like this to another human being, why would anyone want to hurt someone who is clearly so vulnerable already?"
The team offered the man advice and urged him to seek shelter in the city council's Labre House night shelter.
Becky added: "We will be keeping a special eye out for him now."
