The death cries of a man trapped head-first down a storm drain went ignored by his neighbours in what a coroner today described as a ’sad reflection on society’. Mark Wells shouted and screamed ‘please help me’ for up to an hour in the middle of the night, but no-one came to his aid because they thought they were hearing drunken antics. It was not until the next morning that the 32-year-old’s body was found with his leg sticking out of the 2ft-by-1ft drain.
‘It was a sad reflection on society that people were too scared to venture out of their homes when they heard screams.’
Richard Reed, who was staying with friend Mr Gulliver, said in a statement read to Isle of Wight Coroner John Matthews that he heard Mr Wells calling frantically. ‘At approximately 1.30am I got up to go to the toilet and heard a voice (outside) shouting “Help me, help me please”,’ he said.
‘It seemed like a pleading voice and I thought it was drunk people. I heard the voice shouting “Help me, help me please”
‘Nobody went to his rescue and the reasons are several. Being the Isle of Wight there are places on Friday and Saturday nights where it is not safe for people to be out because of the fear of drunk or drugged persons and perhaps the fear of assault. ‘I can well understand why people did not do anything that night.’ He continued: ‘It is a sad reflection on the state of things in our life today where it is not safe for some people to go out at night even in the Isle of Wight.
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