The homeless hero
Man stands in rain for hours to guard handbag containing £450 – after spotting it on car seat with window down
FOR many, finding an unattended bag stuffed with £400 in cash would be a source of temptation.
But the urge would no doubt be greater if you were living hand-tomouth on the streets.
All of which makes the actions of rough sleeper James John McGeown even more remarkable.
For after spotting a handbag on the front seat of a parked car with its window down, he stood guard in the rain for two-and-a-half hours waiting for the owner to return.
After hours in the cold and wet, he reached inside and pulled the bag out hoping to find some ID so he could contact the driver – only to discover it contained £400 in notes, with another £50 in spare change beside it.
He then took the bag to a nearby solicitor’s office for safe-keeping, leaving a note behind to let the owners know it was safe. The lawyer’s receptionist then phoned the police to notify them that cash had been handed in.
When the car’s owner John McMonagle and his colleague Alyshia Orford returned to the car – which was itself worth £35,000 – in Glasgow city centre, they were shocked to find the police surrounding it telling them the handbag was safe.
The pair were later able to thank rough sleeper Mr McGeown for his kindness .
Mr McMonagle said: ‘I was in shock, I couldn’t believe that the guy never took a penny.
‘To think he is sleeping on the streets tonight when he could have stolen the money and paid for a place to stay.
‘This guy has nothing and yet he didn’t take the bag for himself, he thought about others instead. It’s phenomenal. It just proves there are decent guys out there.’
Rough sleeper Mr McGeown also won praise from social media users after Mr McMonagle posted about the act of kindness on Facebook.
Mr McMonagle, who owns a chip shop in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, wrote: ‘I was in Glasgow and on returning to my car I could see the police around my car.
‘When I approached the police officer told me I left the window of my car down and Alyshia’s handbag was in full view.
‘It had £400 in the bag. I had £50 in the centre console.’
Mr McMonagle added: ‘James noticed the window down and
‘Has nothing but he thought of others’
saw the handbag. He stood in the frozen rain for two-and-ahalf hours to make sure no one entered my car.
‘He was so cold he took the bag and rummaged through it to see if there was any ID.
‘There wasn’t so the building behind was a solicitor’s office. He took the bag and held it to the receptionist and explained ... This man is an absolute gentleman.’ Now Mr McMonagle has set up an online funding campaign to raise money for Mr McGeown and other homeless people in the area, which by yesterday had raised more than £8,000.
Mr McMonagle has vowed that Mr McGeown will get the first £5,000. The money will be awarded to him based on advice from a homeless charity.
Mr McMonagle said: ‘What James did was incredible. I wanted to help him in some way and offered him a job but he is alcohol dependent.
‘He needs professional help and he called me today and I dropped him at a detox centre where he’s volunteered to go in for three weeks. He’s determined... I think the faith that everyone has shown in him has touched him.
‘He’s genuinely overwhelmed. People have been approaching him in the street, he’s had job offers and all sorts.
‘It’s a possible life-changing opportunity for him.’