The body of a man discovered in his flat on a Brixton Estate could have lay undiscovered for eight weeks, neighbours have said.
The decomposing body of the middle-aged man, named locally as Steve Simpson, was found by a friend on Wednesday (August 8) on the Loughborough Park Estate, Brixton. Neighbours had previously reported a foul smell coming from inside the one-bed apartment.
One neighbour said: “His friend from the estate hadn’t seen him for several weeks and checked on him. He opened the letter box and realised something was wrong. He broke into the flat and found the body.
“We think he could have been there for six to eight weeks. Someone who was there said the smell was horrendous.”
Residents say that Mr Simpson was one of the residents taken to court to be evicted by landlords the Guinness Trust, despite having a secure tenancy. He was then forced to move from his old flat to a new one on the same estate around May this year.
A spokesperson for Lambeth police said today: “Police are investigating following the discovery of the body of a white middle-aged man at an address in Loughborough Park.
“Police were called to the address on Wednesday 8 August at about 7.00pm by a friend of the deceased who had attended the address and discovered the body.
“The deceased appeared to have lain undiscovered for some time.
“The identity of the deceased is believed to be known, but no formal identification has taken place and next of kin have not yet been informed.”
The death has been referred to the coroner.
Did you know Steve? Contact the Brixton Blog on 020 7737 5417.
