| |
Sheffield man’s love of LEGO lands him with debt problems
Written on April 14, 2011 by Nathan Cameron
An autistic man from Sheffield has found himself with relatively serious debt
problems after over-indulging in his favourite hobby – LEGO.
Christopher Royston, 32, has a large collection of LEGO models and sculptures in
his house in Heeley. He spoke to the Sheffield Star newspaper about his debt
problems, explaining that he had continued to buy LEGO and other puzzles to
alleviate his anxiety. However, his excessive spending resulted in Mr Royston
falling behind with his council tax bills and months of rent payments to
Sheffield Homes.
After realising that his hobby was out of control, Mr Royston sought debt help
and arranged for his rent to be paid directly out of his Job Seekers’ Allowance
to Sheffield Homes. At this time, he owed £129.76 ($212 USD).
However, it seems that the payments Mr Royston was making through Job Centre
Plus were not enough to cover his debt. Sheffield Homes took the case to a
Sheffield county court, claiming that his debt had built up to £159.71 ($260
USD). He was ordered to pay this amount, plus £169.50 ($277 USD) in court costs.
Speaking to The Star, Mr Royston said:
“I was told that if I did not pay, I could lose my home.
“I don’t understand why they took me to court as I was already addressing the
issue and all it has done is meant I have a bigger bill to pay.”
A spokesperson for Sheffield Homes said that Mr Royston had informed them that
he had autism but had said that it wouldn’t affect his ability to make rent
payments. The company has waived around £25 ($40 USD) of unpaid council tax and
now considers Mr Royston’s debts to be repaid.
Chilterndebtmanagement.co.uk
-end of report-
|
|
Message has 1 Reply:
2 Messages in This Thread:
  
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
