‘Judge me fairly’: man who starved to death’s plea to welfare officials

Handwritten letter found in Errol Graham’s flat, where he died after his benefits were cut

• Have you been affected by changes to disability welfare payments?

Errol Graham, a desperately ill man who died of starvation when his benefits were cut off, wrote a moving letter pleading with welfare officials to “judge me fairly” because he was overwhelmed by depression.

The handwritten letter, seen by the Guardian, was released by Graham’s family as they launched a legal attempt to prove that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) acted unlawfully and put him at risk by failing to put in place effective safeguards to protect vulnerable benefit claimants.

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