Sickness that leads man to spend while he sleeps
A MAN spent more than £100 on toiletries while fast asleep because of his ‘nightmare’ brain disorder.
Mark Doyle suffers from narcolepsy, a rare condition that causes him to suddenly fall asleep at any time.
A common symptom of the illness is ‘automatic behaviour,’ which allows Mr Doyle to perform everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning and shopping while still asleep.
Mr Doyle, 46, from Neilston, East Renfrewshire, is able to run errands without anybody noticing that he is slumbering. In one incident he woke to find he had spent more than £120 on toiletries after four trips to the same store.
Mr Doyle visited a Savers store in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, on Friday, July 13. He had no idea what had happened until it was all over.
He said: ‘When I woke up I noticed I spent more than £100 on deodorant, bath sponges, shower gel, hair wax, you name it.
‘The following day I went back in to return the products but I took a turn again, fell asleep and tried to buy more stuff – about £80 worth.’
Mr Doyle added: ‘Luckily I couldn’t find my card. I went again the same day and bought £26 worth of stuff.’
This was not the first time he has awoken to find he has been on a somnambulant spree. He said: ‘I once took a turn in Morrisons and bought six chickens, six cans of dog food and 12 packets of cat food – although I don’t have pets.’
Last week Mr Doyle tried to return the items to Savers but staff refused to reimburse him. He said: ‘I tried to explain my condition but they just told me it’s not their problem, it’s mine.’
Savers claims the reason Mark was not refunded was because some of the goods were damaged as a result of a leak in the bag.
A spokesman said: ‘We do not accept liability for any goods which have been damaged after they have been purchased unless faulty.
‘Mr Doyle has received refunds for unwanted purchases on at least two occasions.’