A six-stone emaciated man deemed "fit to work" and denied vital benefits by the DWP has died.
Stephen Smith, 64, died from pneumonia on Monday after battling a number of serious health problems.
Shocking photos of Mr Smith in hospital show his obvious poor health but a fitness for work assessment by the Department for Work and Pensions found he was fit and capable of finding work.
As a result he was denied crucial benefits and was forced to leave hospital and fight the decision at a tribunal hearing, which he won when the judge saw he was barely able to walk down the street.
But today (April 21) friends of the Liverpool man confirmed the sad news of his death, with one describing him as "a good soul of the earth", reports the Liverpool Echo.
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One friend said: "He never really recovered from pneumonia. He was a good soul of the earth. He would do anything for anyone."
Mr Smith suffered from a number of serious conditions for several years, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, excruciating Osteoarthritis, an enlarged prostate and he used a colostomy bag to go to the toilet.
Despite all of this, he failed a DWP work capability assessment in 2017 - which meant his ESA payments were stopped and he was told to sign on for a £67 a week Jobseeker's Allowance, visit the job centre once a week and prove he was looking for work.
Throughout this period, Mr Smith was living alone and didn't know where to turn as his health deteriorated.
He said: "I could only make it to the kitchen to make food once a day.
"I had no muscles in the back of my leg which meant I couldn't stand up at all - and had to lean or sit down all the time - but they were telling me I was fit for work."
Mr Smith enlisted the help of the CASA community centre in Hope Street which offers support to people like Mr Smith.
And Tony Nelson - who runs the centre introduced Mr Smith to Terry Craven, a former city council welfare officer who works at the CASA advising people on benefit claims.
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After Mr Smith was denied ESA, Terry took up his case and battled with the DWP to get him the benefits he knew he deserved.
Following the successful appeal of his case, a DWP spokesman said: "We are sorry for the experience Mr Smith has had and we are committed to ensuring that people with health conditions get the support they're entitled to.
"Following the independent tribunal’s ruling, he is now receiving full ESA support. While Mr Smith continued to receive benefits and support during his appeal, we can confirm he will shortly receive all back-payments for ESA due.”
It's understood that a service for Mr Smith will be held on Friday at 4pm at Anfield Crematorium.
