The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Man may have lain dead for weeks in city flat
Neighbours reported foul smell to police who then discovered body
Homeowners fear their neighbour’s body lay undiscovered for weeks after his death in a Dundee flat.
Neighbours living in Park Avenue contacted police on Thursday evening after experiencing a foul smell.
It is understood an unnamed man subsequently discovered by police within the first floor flat had been dead for several weeks.
The property’s lock had to be drilled out before officers were able to gain entry.
A police spokesperson confirmed: “Police Scotland received a call just after eight o’clock and attended at Park Avenue following reports of concern for a male.
“Officers found the deceased within the property.”
There are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
Yesterday, neighbours in the Stobswell street said they knew little of the dead man.
One elderly resident in the block of flats next door said she “rarely sees the same faces twice” entering and leaving the block of flats where the death occurred.
The homeowner, who asked not to be named, said: “There have been a few deaths during my time here.
“The young guy up the stairs from me overdosed. You often hear police cars going up and down this street.
“My husband and I bought this flat but I’m starting to regret that with all that is going on.”
Dundee Lord Provost Ian Borthwick described the death as “distressing”.
Mr Borthwick said: “It’s tragic that someone has to die in these circumstances with no one there to deal with the situation appropriately.
“It is a breakdown of community and that is to be regretted.
“Often people are so consumed with their own lives – but if something appears to be amiss then alert the authorities or the housing association.
“It’s quite evident in Dundee that there are individuals who live in isolation. It is a far cry from when I was brought up.
“If the community is cohesive then people identify and deal with these things.”
Life can appear to continue at a frantic pace. All too often we are so consumed by our own affairs that we fail to notice the travails of even those closest to us.
Today we report on the tragic case of a body lying undiscovered in a Dundee home for weeks. Of course, it is hard to know just how long ago the poor unfortunate individual had died, all we know for sure if that he was only discovered when police broke into the property following reports of a foul stench.
The sad discovery resulted in Dundee’s Lord Provost Ian Borthwick bemoaning the “breakdown of community”.
Certainly, albeit without the full knowledge of the circumstances, it would appear to represent a sad indictment of the times in which we live.
Mr Borthwick describes it as being “a far cry” from the days of his youth and spoke of the need for more cohesive communities.
That an individual could be quite so isolated is shocking indeed and it is to be hoped lessons can be learned.
A first step would not be overly dramatic. Rather it would just require each and every one of us to spend time thinking of those who live round about us for whom daily social interaction may not be the norm.
If everybody spends just a few moments caring for those closest to them – in both emotional and physical terms – a far better society can be created.