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January 9, 2003updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Big Issue probes death of vendor

By Press Gazette

The Big Issue South West has launched a campaign to find out why a 20-year-old Big Issue vendor died three weeks after leaving prison.

Sean Wildman was a former heroin addict who came off drugs while in Exeter prison but died of an overdose after he was released. He approached The Big Issue South West for help and staff from the BI Foundation were in the process of finding him accommodation when he died.

Big Issue South West editor Tim Lezard told Press Gazette: "What annoyed us was he’d come clean and was determined to make a go of it, but there was no one there for him. He came to us because he was homeless and wanted to get back on his feet. We want to find out why accommodation was not arranged before he left prison."

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