'My son died and his belongings were left to be stolen outside his council house. It can't happen again'
A Lincolnshire mum is fighting for change after her son took his own life and later had his belongings stolen - leaving his family with just a small box of items. Andre Perras was a father-of-two who lived in a council house in Linden Court, Spalding.
The 43-year-old suffered from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of genetic disorders that affect the connective tissues in the body, and also struggled with drug addiction. On June 22, Lincolnshire Police conducted a welfare check at his property at the request of South Holland District Council (SHDC) and discovered that he had taken his own life.
Andre's mother, Doreal Perras, said he got a formal diagnosis at the age of 18 and battled a heroin addiction. He was prescribed ketamine but she said he found an alternative on the dark web after supply issues.
Following his death, Doreal and the family asked SHDC if they could go and collect some of Andre's belongings and give the property a thorough clean. She says they were told by the council that they couldn't go in due to health and safety reasons, which she accepted.
The council hired a contractor to clear out Andre's belongings. Doreal says the contractor deemed the property "too contaminated" and that everything in there was "unsalvageable". She said: "We desperately wanted at least some bits of his clothing that we could wash and make into memory cushions for his children. But they said no, it wasn't possible, and they would find any paperwork, photos and devices that we could have."
The day after the contractor had cleared the property, Doreal and her daughter's went to pick up Andre's items that had been salvaged. She claims that four neighbours approached them to say that his belongings had been thrown out the front of the house and other people were coming along to steal what they wanted.
Doreal said: "I was furious when I heard his items had been thrown out. He also had a mobility scooter which apparently had been given to another neighbour as scrap, which boggled my mind. We were left with a box of paperwork, photographs, an old briefcase, a laptop and a telephone.
"I painted a picture for him when he was 14 and he had it with him at all times. There was no sign of it.
"I told SHDC how angry and frustrated I was. As a family, if people could just come and take his stuff, then we should have been allowed to be there when they were taking things out. He had nothing of value, but for us it would've meant the world."
Doreal says she was given a meeting with SHDC to discuss the matter and waited more than 25 minutes but nobody showed up, so she left. Eventually, they went back and had a meeting - during which Doreal says the council vowed to work with the family to make changes.
She said: "The reality is, it's not just that my son was an addict. He was someone that had complex medical issues. Our concern is how many other people with physical issues, mental issues and problems with addiction are being treated this way?
"Andre was battling not just the addiction, but his condition. I told SHDC that they need to have a dedicated team for people who have complex issues and need to have someone who's willing to work with the families should something happen instead of fobbing them off.
"When I asked why something wasn't in place, they had no answer. The attitude of SHDC is very cavalier and I said this to them. We're not going to go away. They may have had people in the past who have been upset and then just faded away. We won't fade away.
"I know we're not the only ones who have been treated this way. Things have to change."
Councillor Tracey Carter, portfolio holder for strategic and operational housing at South Holland District Council, said: "This is an extremely tragic situation and the thoughts of the whole authority are with the family of Mr Perras. Our Housing Services team worked with Mr Perras for nearly two years starting back in October 2022, engaging with him, inviting him to join other tenants at the local community centre, organising hospital appointments, food parcels and more.
"After a period of no contact, it was a member of our Housing team who investigated the property, notified the police, and arranged for a specialist contractor to handle Mr Perras' belongings. Having spoken with the team about this extensively, it is clear to me that they did everything they could to support Mr Perras for more than two years.
"The team will remain in contact with the family to assess if there are any areas of our support that could be improved in handling tragedies like this."
Doreal concluded: "Anyone of those times that the council visited, he could have been laying on the floor because of his physical issues and not able to get to the door. If they are persistently unable to reach someone, they should be able to reach out to a third party to ask for help. There has to be measures put in place for these people."