Homeless man 'deliberately' set on fire as he slept in park, police say

Officers say man was initially thought to have suffered 'severe burns'

(Anu Shukla)

A homeless man has been “deliberately” set on fire as he was sleeping in a park.

West Midlands Police believe two people approached the victim in the Swanswell Park and Pool area of Coventry, poured lighter fluid over his hands and then set him alight.

Investigators said the man was thought to have suffered “severe burns”.

The attack took place some time on late Saturday night or the early hours of Sunday morning, they added.

Earlier this month a homeless man was left with nothing but the clothes on his back after his van was engulfed by flames in what is suspected to be a deliberate attack in Whitstable, Kent.

Homelessness reached a record high in 2018 with more than 170,000 people and families being counted as homeless.

While the majority were sofa-surfing or living in hostels, 12,300 were sleeping rough on the streets and nearly 12,000 were sleeping in vehicles or tents, research for the charity Crisis found.

Government figures released last year found nearly 600 homeless people died in England and Wales in 2017.

Anyone with information or who saw anything suspicious has been urged to contact the police, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111