Man dies sleeping rough for report

A filmmaker is believed to have frozen to death as he made a documentary about sleeping rough on the streets.

Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle to experience what it was like to be homeless.

He embarked upon his project on Sunday but he was apparently found dead three days later in a derelict building in the West End of the city.

How he died has not yet been confirmed but due to the freezing temperatures it is believed he may have succumbed to hypothermia.

Speaking on a YouTube video, he said the project was part of an application for an investigative journalism course to give an example of fearless reporting.

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Hi all

All i can say is "ironic".

It is a shame when a young man dies needlessly trying to highlight a growing homeless problem.

Although it does say that it appears that he died from hypothermia we still cant take that as an fact
so im not going to delve upon that, anything could have happend.
Again, what a shame

The foods we eat or don't eat can help us cool or keep warm. Many people eat foods that disrupt their system and they cannot keep warm. It is not so simple to be able to sleep outside in the cold, not everyone can do it. Most people can adjust once the chemistry is changed in the body.

reply to post by davesmart


It does say now that two men have been arrested for supplying an illegal drug. So it seems he tried to immerse himself completely, as he promised, and can never come back now.

It happens far too easily. And quickly, before the shock of realising they've succumb subsides, it can be too late.

Im thinking there had to be more to it than just the cold, the cold was probably just a final factor. I woke up one morning in a t-shirt and jeans sitting in a chair with puke frozen to my face, and T-shirt. I was a young healthy kid at the time(minus the alcoholism) as well native Alaskan, with extra body fat, and thin oily hair with serves as a good insulator. and I want to say that's why I did not succumb to hypothermia. then again it could of just been the soccer Gods keeping me alive to play the next game, I was ten minutes late to warm ups, and let two goals go by that I shouldn't of, but we won and i lived to play another day.

I wonder if this is qualification for the Darwin Award

Chilling effects