A homeless man “nearly died” after a security guard doused his bedding in bleach outside a popular London takeaway. Aaron McCarthy was sitting next to the McDonald’s on Victoria Street, London, when he was asked to move away by security.
A video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Damon Evans showed the guards kicking his bedding and splashing water with a mop next to where Aaron was sitting, in front of another shopfront.
The 25-year-old said the stressful situation kept him awake that night and left his bed soaking wet and smelling of bleach.
Aaron told the Telegraph: “I told the security guard I was outside the bank, not McDonald’s and so I had nothing to do with them but then one of them came out with a bucket of water with bleach in it, I could smell it.”
He continued: “The guy started mopping the floor and kicking my stuff into the water. It was disgusting. I had to leave because it was so stressful, and I hardly slept the entire night because my bedding was all soaked. You can still smell the bleach on my blanket.
“It was cold water and it’s winter. I could’ve died.”
In the video, Aaron can be heard saying, “Leave me alone” as his belongings are kicked out of the way.
Bystanders were also heard describing the situation as “outrageous” and “bang out of order”. In response, one security guard asked Mr McCarthy: “Why [are] you causing trouble?”
But the man filming insists: “What do you mean causing trouble? The guy’s just covered his sleeping bag in water. It’s winter! That is outrageous.”
Aaron said the security guards “do it on purpose to keep homeless people away but they mop this bit which isn’t even their business”.
He noted how the incident made him feel like “no one, nothing”.
He said: “What happened has really affected my mental health. It has made my PTSD go off again and made my ADHD get worse.”
Aaron has been homeless since he was 17, when he left his adopted mother’s home in Wales.
He continued: “I was born a heroin addict. My mum and my dad were addicts. I met my real mum once when I was 18. I’ve never met my dad, he was in jail. I don’t know him.
“I realise why my adopted mother had to take a step back [from having a close relationship with me]. I have severe ADHD, PTSD and borderline personality disorder.
“But it’s tough living on the streets. But to be abused like I was by that security guard was not on. He did not have to do that.”
During his time being homeless, he has been stabbed, had bricks smashed over his head and been mugged as he slept.
Aaron, originally from Limerick, said he has survived on the streets thanks to other homeless people like his girlfriend Chels.
He said: “Everyone seems to think that people on the streets are drug addicts. But I’m not. I don’t choose to be here. I’ve asked and asked for help but it seems like no one wants to know. I need help and I don’t get help.”
He gets just £700 per month Personal Independence Payment and recently had his Universal Credit reduced.
Aaron told the Mail that he will be spending Christmas on the streets as he has nowhere to go and “no one wants to help” him.
McDonald’s has said it is “shocked and saddened” by the incident and has permanently removed the “third party security guards” from its restaurant.
A spokesperson said: “The restaurant team has been reminded of the importance of treating all people with respect including vulnerable people both in the restaurant and within the wider community.
“We would like to wholeheartedly apologise to the gentleman in the video and will work with the council to locate him and make amends.”
