A vulnerable man who starved to death months after his benefits were cut should not have been ruled fit to work, the Government has admitted.{jcomments on}
Prime Minister David Cameron last night described the death of Mark Wood as “tragic” following the admission by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
And the DWP has now launched an internal review of the case.
The 44-year-old from Bampton had his benefits cut to just £40 in March last year after Atos Healthcare assessed him as being fit to work.
An inquest into his death in February, which concluded with a narrative verdict, heard he weighed just 5st 8lb when he died of malnutrition in August last year.
Mr Wood had obsessive compulsive disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, phobias of food, pollution, paint fumes, and social situations, and cognitive behavioural problems.
His sister Cathie Wood said the announcement was a “hollow victory” because it would not bring him back.
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