A British father has set himself on fire after being pursued by loan sharks who threatened him with phone calls and text messages.\n<\/p>\n
Bolton coroner’s court heard Antony Breeze, 36, had debts amounting to \u00a31,600 and his phone was “ringing day and night” with calls from various debt collectors, loan sharks and pawnbrokers.\n<\/p>\n
Breeze, who worked for engineering firm Webster Drivers, set himself alight in an alley near his home after receiving the text messages.\n<\/p>\n
He was taken to hospital after being spotted by a neighbor, but died from burns covering 73 percent of his body.\n<\/p>\n
“Money is a natural concern of any family man and father at some point. His debts were not at a very high level, therefore I cannot understand why his debts would lead him to harm himself”, the coroner office said.\n<\/p>\n
His death has come at a time of criticism of payday loan companies that add interest of up to 200 percent on short term loans.\n<\/p>\n
The tide may be turning though, as two payday lenders were forced last week to surrender their trading licenses over bad practices.\n<\/p>\n
MOL\/HE<\/p>\n