英國單親爸爸失業後破產，苦等救濟金無望，發帖痛哭後絕望自殺…

天下 07-23

Single father, 34, with just ￡4.61 in his bank account wept about having to wait weeks for Universal Credit before killing himself

34歲單親父親的銀行賬戶里只有4.61英鎊，他因為要等幾周才能拿到福利救濟金而哭泣，之後自殺

來源：每日郵報翻譯：世界播

A single father-of-three who had just ￡4.61 to his name killed himself after allegedly having to wait weeks for his Universal Credit payments.

一位有三個孩子的單親父親，名下只有4.61英鎊，據稱因為要等幾周才能拿到福利救濟金，他自殺了。

Phillip Herron, 34, was out of work and struggling to feed and clothe his family while trying to pay back ￡20,000 worth of debt.

34歲的菲利普·赫倫失業了，他艱難地養家糊口，同時還要償還價值2萬英鎊的債務。

Even though he applied for help from the government, the month-long wait was the "final nail in his coffin" and plunged him further into debt and despair.

儘管他申請了政府救濟，但長達一個月的等待「給了他致命的一擊」，讓他陷入更沉重的債務和絕望之中。

Universal Credit, brought in by the Coalition Government 2013, was meant to replace a series of benefits with just one.

2013年聯合政府引入新的統一福利救濟金（Universal Credit），旨在用一項福利取代若干類福利。

But it is paid monthly in arrears, and results in an average wait of five weeks for the first payment.

但它是每月付一次款，導致平均等待五周才能領到一筆錢。

Moments before his death Mr Herron uploaded a picture to social media of him crying while sitting in his car on a country lane on March 18.

3月18日，赫倫先生去世前不久將一張照片上傳到社交媒體上，照片背景是在鄉間小路上，他坐在自己的車裡哭泣。

His mother, Sheena Derbyshire, 54, said that in his suicide note he said he believed his family would be better off without him.

他的母親、54歲的希娜·德比希爾說，他在遺書中說，他認為沒有他，家人會過得更好。

Mr Herron had not told anyone of his money troubles so it was down to his mother to piece together the events that had led him to take his own life.

赫倫先生沒有告訴任何人他經濟上的問題，直到他母親把導致他自殺的事件拼湊起來。

In an interview with the Mirror she said: "His death came as a complete shock. I couldn"t understand why he"d do this."

在接受《鏡報》採訪時，她說：「他的死讓我非常震驚。我不明白他為什麼要這樣做。」

His debt had spiralled so far out of control that Father Christmas "had not come" last year and Ms Derbyshire even found a hidden eviction notice from Bernicia Homes in his house.

他的債務已經急劇上升到無法控制的地步，以至於去年聖誕節都沒有過，德比希爾女士甚至在他的房子里發現了一張被藏起來的伯尼西亞住房協會的驅逐通知。

Mr Herron had quit his job as a factory worker to be able to look after his younger children and struggled financially as a result.

為了方便照顧年幼的孩子，赫倫辭去了工廠工人的工作，結果陷入了經濟困境。

After Ms Derbyshire was able to crack the password to her son"s phone she uncovered hundreds of phone calls that revealed how his personality changed in the months leading to his death.

在德比希爾女士破解了兒子手機的密碼後，她發現了數百通電話，這些電話說明了在導致兒子死亡的這幾個月里，他的性情發生了多大的變化。

Once a very soft spoken man, Mr Herron spent most of his final phone conversations screaming.

赫倫先生曾經是一個說話非常溫和的人，但在他最後的電話交談中，他大部分時間都在尖叫。

She said: "He loved his kids but he started shouting at them. And you can hear him sobbing in calls. I heard him talking about suicide to other people.

她說：「他愛他的孩子，但他開始對他們大喊大叫。你可以聽到他在電話里哭泣。我聽到他跟別人談起了自殺。」

"I wish he"d told us how he was feeling but we never knew.

「我希望他能告訴我們他的感受，但我們從來都不知道。」

"Listening to those last few months of calls I started asking myself, "Who is this person?" He』d changed so much so very quickly."

「聽到最後幾個月的通話，我開始問自己，『這個人是誰？』他變化那麼快，那麼大。」

Ms Derbyshire has been riddled with guilt ever since her son"s death and says that her grandchildren are grappling with coming to terms with it.

自從她兒子死後，德比希爾女士就一直充滿內疚，她說她的孫輩們正在努力接受這件事。

Ms Derbyshire hopes that the evidence she found will be used to help expose the failings of Universal Credit at Mr Herron"s inquest at Sacriston, County Durham.

在達勒姆郡薩克里斯頓對赫倫先生死因的調查中，德比希爾女士希望她發現的證據能幫助揭露統一福利救濟金的缺陷。

Last night a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson told the Mirror: "Our thoughts are with Mr Herron』s family.

昨晚，英國就業與退休保障部門的一位發言人告訴《鏡報》：「我們向赫倫先生的家人致以誠摯的慰問。」

"Suicide is a very complex issue, so it would be wrong to link it solely to someone』s benefit claim.

「自殺是一個非常複雜的問題，所以把它僅僅與某人領取養恤金的要求掛鉤是錯誤的。」

"We are committed to safeguarding vulnerable claimants and keep guidance under constant review to provide the highest standard of protection."

「我們致力於保護脆弱的領取救濟金者，並不斷審查指導意見，以提供最高標準的保護。」