Action threatened over fire-damaged building
Action could be taken against the owner of a building which was damaged by a fire that killed a homeless man last year.
Brockley Square in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, has been fenced off since Jamie Parker died in the blaze at the former Yates wine bar in March 2024.
The structure has been made secure but issues at the site including rough sleepers, anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and trespassing are still being reported, according to Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
The authority said it had made "numerous attempts" to contact the owner, who has not been identified, but they had failed to engage.
Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning, said: "We will continue our attempts to liaise with the building owner and will not hesitate to take enforcement action against them if they fail to take the necessary action to make the building safe and secure."
Firefighters were called to the blaze at the site at about 05:45 GMT on 12 March 2024 and Mr Parker's body was found a day later.
An inquest on Wednesday heard he had started the fire to try and keep warm before it quickly got out of control
The other homeless men who were in the building with him managed to escape but the fire was too extensive for Mr Parker to be rescued, assistant coroner Lindsey Tonks said.
She ruled that his death was misadventure and described it as a tragic event.
Shortly after Mr Parker died, his sister Stephanie said he was a "beautiful person" who had "everything going for him" before his life began to spiral after suffering a brain injury in 2011.
The issues were exacerbated by a drug addiction, then by the deaths of their eldest sister in 2015 and their mum in 2020.
Ms Parker said: "I miss him a lot. I've missed him for years even before he was gone, with the road he went down."
"He deserved better, he really did deserve better," she added.
Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Homeless man started fire to keep warm - inquest
Sister's tribute to brother found dead after fire
Family tribute to man who died in wine bar fire
Body found in building after wine bar fire
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
A new boating law will go into effect in Minnesota on July 1. Here's what to know.
It's boating season in Minnesota, and a new law meant to make our lakes safer might impact you as soon as next month. Starting July 1, anyone from the ages of 12 to 21 will need an operator's permit to drive a motorboat. Tom Jacob, the owner of Bay to Bay Boat Club in Excelsior, hired a lobbyist a couple of years ago to help push the law through. He says Bay to Bay has a perfect safety record in 25 years in business. He credits part of that success to his 40-minute orientation for anyone renting a boat. "If they don't like it, I guess they can go somewhere else, but I don't want to put anyone on the lake that just wants to go out and party," said Jacob. In a few years, the law requiring a boating license will expand to include all Minnesotans under the age of 41. Anyone renting a boat will also need one, no matter their age. "I think it is a good idea because a lot of people don't even know what the signs [on the water] mean," said Ryan Mann, a teenager from Wayzata who got his permit when he was 15. Getting a permit requires passing a safety course and paying a $35 fee, which goes to the company running the course. Jacob says he's heard some boat clubs are worried the new rules could scare off customers. "I think it's worth sacrificing a couple rentals," said Jacob. "Dollars over safety? I take safety." Boating deaths have been at historic lows the last two years, according to data from the Department of Natural Resources. "We see this new requirement, which had bipartisan support and strong support from the boating community, as an important part of ensuring that trend continues," said Lieutenant Colonel Robert Gorecki with the DNR Enforcement Division.
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Lawyer calls Berkeley's surprise homeless sweep "a page out of the Trump playbook"
A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10, to decide if a long-standing homeless encampment in West Berkeley should be allowed to continue. But there's just one problem. It doesn't exist anymore. The city tore it all down on June 4, less than a week before a federal court was supposed to decide the matter. And one federal judge isn't happy, ruling that not only were tents trashed in the operation, but so was the people's right to due process. A handful of tents have already returned to 8th and Harrison. But on the morning of June 4, without any notice, police and city cleanup crews descended on the homeless encampment. Officers ordered residents to be out in 20 minutes, using smoke and threatening non-lethal projectiles to hurry people along. Encampment resident Anthony Martinez was shocked by the action. "Yeah, that was abrupt. That was a draconian take," he said. "That shows me that you got a home, and I guess mine doesn't get included in your thoughts." The camp was torn apart, loaded into dump trucks, and disposed of. But many of the residents are members of an organization called the Berkeley Homeless Union, which had requested and was granted a federal order to stop any sweeps at 8th and Harrison. The order expired on May 23, but U.S. District Judge Edward Chen granted a hearing for June 10. The city decided it didn't have to wait for that and moved in to remove the camp anyway. "In the face of all that, the city simply decided to circumvent the judicial process, the civil justice system, and carry out what we are characterizing as a raid," said Anthony Prince, the attorney for the Homeless Union. "That was not an abatement. That was not even a sweep. That was a raid." Later that morning, Judge Chen issued a one-sentence ruling, halting the sweep even though it had already taken place. And in his explanation, the judge said the city had an obligation to provide the residents with proper notice of the sweep, especially after he granted them the June hearing. Berkeley argued that the campers were warned back in January that they could not live there, but the judge said that was not valid notice since it came before he granted the stay on any sweeps. "Thus, residents had a reasonable expectation that any abatement action in the interim would be preceded by some reasonable notice, both to allow them to prepare to move and to be able to seek immediate court relief, if necessary," he wrote in his ruling. "Under these circumstances, taking action without prior notice offends due process." "So, this is a very serious situation," said attorney Prince. "It is a complete disregard of the authority of the court, and because the hearing was scheduled on shortened time, we believe it is tantamount to contempt of court." And Prince believes it was no accident. He said he's concerned about the strategy, being played out across the country, of ignoring judges' rulings as a way of testing them. "I think we're in a very dangerous, very dangerous place," he said. "It's not unexpected from the Trump administration, which indicated openly that they were going to take these steps. But it is surprising that in the city of Berkeley, for them to have engaged in this raid, in this assault that took place Wednesday, is shocking. They took a page out of the Trump playbook." For now, the tents can stay, at least until Tuesday morning's hearing. What happens after that will not only determine the fate of a homeless encampment but could raise questions about the validity of the rule of law itself.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
6 baby opossums found during search warrant in Dayton
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Officers from the Dayton Police Department reportedly discovered some marsupials while assisting a neighboring agency in serving a search warrant. Dayton Police & Fire posted to social media showing six baby opossums allegedly found. Police said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife will take custody of the animals. ODNR officials remind all Ohioans that its illegal to own animals from the wild. Any injured, orphaned or abandoned animals should be taken to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
