The photograph above is of a small memorial or shrine to Annie Sanderson, a pensioner found dead in suspicious circumstances on Friday May the 9th 2003 in her flat in Oak Tower, Roughwood Drive, Kirkby. The memorial is on the second floor outside the lift. Photo taken May 15th 2003.

Knowsley Housing Trust was warned that they were leaving vulnerable tenants in extremely bad conditions. These conditions can be seen on Kirkby Times and this website has tried, and ultimately failed, to ensure that Annie and others like her were looked after. On the day that Annie Sanderson was found dead in her flat in a Tower Block on Friday May 9th 2003, a Phonecall to Knowsley Housing Trust was answered by someone, no doubt reading from a script, who told the caller that Knowsley Housing Trust were 'prioritising the vulnerable tenants'. No doubt the Housing Trust management will deny their own role in this tragic case, but there are many questions which need to be asked. Who will ask these questions?

Below, the sad truth of Knowsley Housing Trusts lack of any concern for the tenants. This door was Annie's front door, it seems some kids had thrown paint over her door a few months ago, yet the Housing Trust made no effort to clean it.

Community Breakdown

Knowsley Housing Trust was alerted to the conditions in Oak Tower numerous times yet they failed completely to listen to common sense advice which may possibly have saved poor Annie. She wasn't the only vulnerable tenant in the block; it is now known that the lowlife who stole Annie's pension book was staying at the premises of another vulnerable pensioners flat in Oak Tower. Another eyewitness confirmed that Annie had been harassed for money by a heroin addict in a local cafe before being found dead. She told a local woman that the person was harassing her for money. Not that were saying it's connected. We may never really know the exact circumstances in which she died. A pulmonary embolism, which was given as the cause of death, does not tell us everything about the circumstances. Annie could have been literally frightened to death by a burglar; would the burglar tell us if this was the case? Would any one of a few hundred scum here confess or save their skins and lie through their teeth? The sad truth is that there are dozens if not hundreds of these predatory scum who would indeed kill a pensioner and lie to save their skin. They'd kill for a lousy £10 wrap of heroin. This is OUR community today in 2003.

Known Heroin addict 'finds' handbag and tries to return it.

The lowlife arrested for the theft of Annie's pension book, Ian West, claims that he had tried to knock at Annie's flat as he had 'found the handbag on the landing near her flat and had tried to return it on several occasions'. Really?

Below, the landing, or one of them, on which West, a known heroin addict, claims to have 'found' the handbag. Truth is, you could not leave 10p on these landings for more 1 hour before one of the junkies would spot it. Photo taken May 15th 2003.



Below, the landings or stairways are used by the junkies to inject. You can see the blood stains near Annie's flat; another tenant in the block was pierced by one of the discarded needles. KHT refused to even apologise. Photo taken May 15th 2003.



The solicitor acting for West said "Mr West is ashamed at what he has done and has pleaded guilty." Not surprising seems as he was caught on CCTV in the post office and would have been positively identified by several witnesses. He was caught bang to rights cashing a dead woman's pension book and is claiming to have 'found it', in Annie's handbag on the landing. What are the odds of the scumbag who burgled the flat then dropping the handbag outside for West to find? Magistrates remanded West in custody and adjourned the case until May 27 for pre-sentence reports. Kirkby Times will be there to report on the case.

Housing Trust refused to hold meeting to tackle problems.

I requested Knowsley housing Trust to give tenants a chance to meet regarding the many problems the Block was afflicted with. Knowsley Housing Trust. Knowsley Housing Trust informed last September 2002 that they were 'reviewing the situation' regarding what to do with the flats. They finally admitted on March 25th 2003 that the flats were to be decanted in preparation for being demolished. Knowsley Housing trust took 6 months to decide the flats had no future. They left pensioners, many vulnerable, to suffer in appalling conditions without security of a live in caretaker or security. Tenants offered to do these jobs, they were ignored.

Security Guards make appearance.

It is ironic that a week after Annie was found dead in her flat, there were security guards posted outside the Tower Block. The guards were spotted outside on Thursday 15th May. Tenants like Annie actually paid the sum of £4.26 per week to Knowsley Housing Trust, this money has been paid since 1998, yet after a few initial patrols, the security was abandoned, and the promises made by Knowsley Council in 1998 regarding security were simply fantasy. Knowsley Housing Trust simply carried on with the discredited security firm supposedly hired to patrol. This is breach of contract and should be investigated. The Security firm paid to patrol and guard Oak Tower was not there in the months leading up to Annie death. They appear a week after her death.

Below, the rent card showing tenants are paying £4.26p per week for so called security which does not exist.

Tower Blocks a Burglars paradise

No-one knows yet if Annie's flat was burgled or whether she was tricked into opening her door or simply left it open, but there is police evidence tape blocking off an area where the one of the flats shares a balcony with Annie. Knowsley Housing Trust was warned that certain flats could be broken into by accessing abandoned flats which were not secured properly. When I complained to KHT over this problem, they seemed disinterested and never sent a workman out to secure these abandoned flats after promising to do so. Another tenant in a neighboring Tower Block had squatters break in, twice, next door to her and her young daughter. KHT have shown a degree of behavior which is simply negligent. Ultimately, the management are the ones who should answer for this catalogue of disrepair vandalism and neglect.

Some Questions that need to be answered

Why Did Knowsley Council then the Housing Trust charge tenants for 'concierge and security'? (this money is still being taken off ALL remaining tenants, directly from their pensions or benefits.)

Why did housing officers employed by Knowsley Council then the Housing Trust move young people into Tower Blocks which were populated by old folk?

Why did Knowsley housing Trust fail to spot heroin addicts and dealers among the people they moved into these blocks where there was a high proportion of Elderly folk?

Why did KHT not simply clean up the floor (and indeed all floors) where Annie lived after numerous requests to tackle the problem?

Why did housing officers from Knowsley Council/Housing Trust move heroin addicts into decent tower blocks populated by elderly folk and decent tenants?

Why did KHT not listen to tenants who asked for a live in caretaker to be put back into the Block?

On April 1st 2003, KHT delivered a letter to all tenants informing us that we would receive a visit within a 'couple of weeks'. Why did they misinform tenants who have still not received this promised visit 46 days later?

Why did Knowsley Housing trust refuse to arrange a public meeting to tackle the problems in Oak tower and other blocks on Roughwood Drive?

Numerous sections of the KHT tenancy agreement are not being adhered to by the Trust. Under the Trusts Obligations, Section 2, the trust clearly breaches its own Obligations in sections 2.3.2, 2.3.3, 2.3.5, 2.3.7, 2.5, 2.6, possibly 2.8, and definitely 2.9. That is MOST of the Trusts Obligations to certain tenants NOT being carried out. Why did KHT not answer correspondence which pointed this out?

RIP Annie.

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