A debt-ridden father doused himself in petrol and turned himself into a human fireball after being harassed for money by payday loan firms. Antony Breeze, 36, died after setting himself alight, telling passers-by who tried to extinguish the flames: ‘I’ve had enough.’
In the hours before the tragedy Mr Breeze, who owed around £1,600, was bombarded with text messages about his arrears, an inquest heard. The next day he went out, telling his girlfriend he was getting petrol for a lawnmower. Minutes later he was found screaming and in flames on a pathway. He had been so worried about the debts that he lost a stone in weight in just two weeks, relatives said.