Before Christmas, a well-known “lovable” rough sleeper was seen making a final bed for his faithful Jack Russell just hours before he died in the night outside a Costa.
Jonathan Ellerington, who was 41, was a regular in Hull’s city center. He was known for always having his dog, Teddy, with him, but he also had a partner and a loving family.
An investigation into his death found that it was caused by drugs, and CCTV footage showed that he lost consciousness on December 17, 2021, just a few days before Christmas.
It comes after the ONS released data this week showing that the number of homeless people who died on the streets in 2021 was up by almost 8% from the year before.
The number of estimated suicides rose sharply to 99, which is 13.4% of all homeless deaths in England and Wales. It is also thought that 259 people died in drug-related accidents.
Jon left behind a daughter for whom he was trying to stop using drugs, and his beloved Jack Russell, who is now being cared for by his family and seven siblings.
On the night he died, many people tried to find out how Jon was doing, and two men even left him food.
Sad to say, he was found dead on the sidewalk the next morning.
On Thursday, the inquest heard that Jon had tried very hard to stop using drugs so he could see his daughter.
Even though he was often seen sleeping on the street, he lived with his partner in Gipsyville, Hull.
But sometimes he took Teddy to the city center, and they ended up sleeping on the streets.
After his death in Hull on December 18, 2016, a post-mortem showed that Jon had levels of heroin that could have killed him, as well as methadone, painkillers, and sedatives, which would have made it hard for him to breathe and slowed down his heart.
Jon’s sister said that her brother was a “loveable guy.”
Jon did get off the drugs from time to time and would go cold turkey, but it would never last.
He actually got clean for two years because he wanted to stay in touch with his daughter. During that time he managed to get work at Wren Kitchens and Crown Paints.
In a statement, she added:
He would also look after my boys sometimes. He was such a loveable guy and was always seen as the fun uncle. He was also a bit of a joker.
His sister said that something that happened to him in high school had a big effect on him and was partly to blame for his later drug use.
People who saw Jon in the city center often thought he was homeless because he was often seen sleeping on the streets. When people tried to help him, they just took it for granted that he was among the homeless.
Soon after his death, Hull Live heard that a desperate attempt had been made to find Jon a place to stay a few days before he was found dead. This was because someone who saw him struggling in the cold was worried about him.
When Jon told Sophia Jama that he had been sleeping outside near the Anlaby Road flyover, she tried to find him a place to stay.
But she said that when she called Hull City Council and the homeless charity Emmaus, she was told that there was no room because Jon was with Teddy.
At the time, Hull City Council sent condolences to Jon’s family and made it clear that there were options for people who were homeless or at risk of being homeless and had pets.
Emmaus also said in a statement that they thought Jon had a place to stay before the tragedy.
His sister said:
Jon met his partner a few years ago and they remained together up until the day he died. Jon was never homeless.
But he would sometimes go into the city with his dog and would end up sleeping there on the streets.
His sister said that Jon came to see her the day before he died, but he looked a little worse for wear. She asked him to leave because he kept running into things, but it was all in good fun.
She said that Jon’s drug use caused him to have mental and physical problems, and there were fears that he might lose a leg.
Jon went to the drug and alcohol service Renew to help him get clean. He talked to them often and told them that he had only taken heroin once, in December of last year, and that he hadn’t done much drug use in the six months before he died.
He also said he had no plans to hurt or kill himself.
The worker at Costa Cafe who found Jon on the morning of December 18 also gave evidence. When she got there, she saw what she thought was a pile of clothes outside.
She later went outside to smoke a cigarette. When she got there, she saw someone sleeping there, but she didn’t want to wake him up.
But when she went back out a short time later to open up, Jon was still sitting there, so she went over to check on him. She saw that he was gone.
The Humberside Police looked into what happened to Jon. The day before, there had been a problem outside the Royal Hotel, and CCTV showed that Jon seemed to walk up to security staff and yell at them. He was sent away, and there was no sign that he had been violent.
On the evening of December 17, Jon was seen on CCTV arriving at Costa and sitting down. He was seen putting together his bed and a bed for his dog, Teddy.
At about 8:30 p.m., he was slumped over and seemed to lose consciousness.
Over the next few hours, the video showed several people coming up to Jon to see how he was doing and a few of them playing with his dog.
At one point, two men brought him a bag of takeout food. At no point did anyone treat him badly or hurt him.
Floral tributes were left at the site where Jon died. Later, it was revealed that Jon’s family had taken in his dog, Teddy.
Lorraine Harris, the area coroner, decided there was no evidence Jon intended to end his life and concluded his death was “drug-related.”
Several family members and Jon’s partner attended the inquest, which was noted by Ms. Harris.
She said:
My sincere condolences go to his family, partner and everyone else who knew Jon.
Seeing so many people here today is an indication of just how much he was loved. It is clear just how much so many people cared for him.
