Little Ilford estate dead body: police and paramedics called

The Little Ilford estate’s residents are accustomed to passing unconscious addicts, so much so that hours passed before rescue personnel were called.

When the residents of Grantham Road’s Charlbury House eventually realized the man had not moved in hours, police roped off the area.

One said there were flies crawling on the man’s body.

The man was first seen as early as 6.50am, slumped over outside the block in the bin area – but an ambulance was not called until around seven hours later.

An image of the man was shared at 9.39am in a WhatsApp group where residents alert one another when drug users have passed out around their building.

Four hours later, at 1.36pm, another resident wrote: “That guy was still there when I left in the same position and had loads of flies on him… I hope he’s not dead.”

Paramedics were called less than ten minutes later.

“We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer,” a spokesperson said.

“Sadly, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The tragic discovery came just over six weeks after the Newham Recorder published shocking photos of unconscious drug users inside and outside Charlbury House.

Newham Council initiated an action plan to clean up the Little Ilford estate in response to our investigation, in which our reporter even found a used syringe inside Charlbury House.

“The worst fears that we discussed have happened,” said Calvin Terry, who was interviewed in our March special report.

“The guy was in the praying position, stone cold dead… May God rest his soul.”

In our investigation, Mr Terry was quoted saying: “What does it take? Does someone have to get killed before anyone decides to do anything?”

In response to the sobering revelation on Tuesday, he declared, “This is what I feared all along.” With any luck, this will alert [the authorities].

“Police were called by the London Ambulance Service to a report of a man deceased in Grantham Road, Newham,” a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said.

The coroner will receive a case that is prepared, and the death is being handled as unexpected but not suspicious.