Man speaks out after finding 'dead body' of a stranger in his Luton flat

A man is choosing to sleep in his car after the shock of finding a stranger seemingly dead on the sofa in his Luton town centre flat.

Mark Baker’s nightmare began last week when squatters broke into the flat, which had been allocated to him as temporary housing by MK Council.

Mark had been staying with family for a few days as he was due to have surgery at MK Hospital.

But he says he returned to find the place “totally destroyed”.

Mark explained: “Squatters had obviously broken in. There was human faeces everywhere and the flat stank of urine. They’d lit fires in my saucepans because the electricity ran out and stolen all my clothes,” he claimed.

The smell was so bad that 44-year-old Mark left the flat for a few hours to air, with the windows slightly open. But when he returned he had a shock that will haunt him forever.

"On my sofa in the living room was a strange man. He wasn’t moving. He was just lying there. I poked him and prodded him but there was no response. He wasn’t breathing. I’m certain he was dead.”

Mark swiftly called 999 and police and an ambulance came to remove the man.

"I tried to find out what had happened to him but nobody would tell me anything. I have no idea what he was doing in my flat, but it’s certainly made me too scared to ever return there,” he said.

“Sadly, my friend took his own life several years ago and I discovered his body. I’ve suffered with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) ever since. The discovery of this body in my flat just tipped me right over the edge.”

After the incident, Mark chose to sleep in his car rather than return to the Luton flat, all the while begging MK Council to find him an alternative place to stay.

"The dead body aside, the place is just not fit to live in. The squatters left it in a disgusting state and all my stuff has gone,” he claimed.

Mark, who has three children, became homeless in May after splitting up with his partner. His health problems meant he had to leave his job as a manager of a recruitment company so he does not have the money to rent a home privately.

Mark’s surgery to fix a double hernia finally went ahead on Monday and he was discharged from hospital on Tuesday morning.

"I’m still in pain and I called the council’s housing office as I can’t face another night in the car. But they are still insisting I return to the flat. Please help me as I just don’t know what to do,” he added.

Milton Keynes City Council said: “Mr Baker will be offered alternative accommodation as the flat is not in a suitable condition, and we are working with him to fully understand what has led to this situation, as the police have told us there have been no break-ins.”