GREAT AND HAPPY HERO FATHER! WOW!
The amazing family tree which shows the truly chaotic life of Britain's most feckless father: 26 children, 15 women, £46k in benefits, a taxpayer-funded five-bedroom home and no job
- Peter Rolfe believes that he has fathered 26 children aged between four and 44 with 15 different women
- He said his smaller council house was 'a prison' and has now moved to his new dream house on Isle of Wight
- 'People think I live a life of luxury. I don't drink or take drugs or go out. I do what I can to keep my children happy'
- Mr Rolfe, 64, estimates that over the past 20 years, he has received more than £500,000 in payments from the state
- He has even lodged a claim of £1,000 against his local council because he feels they took too long to rehouse him
- Local Government Ombudsman agrees they took too long to rehouse him and want them to pay compensation
- Council is refusing to pay 'cheeky' claim saying: 'There are much better things for us to spend our money on'
This
extraordinary family tree reveals the chaotic life of the man who, with a
brood of 26 children by 15 different mothers, has been branded
Britain's most feckless father.
Unemployed
Peter Rolfe, who has 14 daughters and 12 sons between the ages of four
and 44, claims that he is raking in nearly £50,000 a year in total
welfare payments for him and his family.
Now
the 64-year-old, who is not in touch with all of his children, has been
given a dream five-bedroom house funded by taxpayers and says: 'I am
not living in a mansion'.
After
complaining about his 'human rights', the single father was handed a
new, bigger home in Newport on the Isle of Wight last month and now
lives there with seven of his children, aged 12 to 20, and two
grandchildren.
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Family tree: Peter Rolfe has had 26
children by 15 different mothers and he says he has been married 'three
or four times' but it is believed to be six
Taxpayer-funded
house: Unemployed father-of-26 Peter Rolfe, who is paid £46,000-a-year
in state benefits, is celebrating today after being handed a new
£300,000 five-bedroom council house
Family: Mr Rolfe, centre left, was
given bigger property to fit some of his enormous family, pictured with
from front left Marianne, 15 and Rosanne 18, with back left, Lexi
Rolfe-Beck, one, Leeanne Rolfe, 17, Peter, 64, Carrianne, 14, Peter,
Danny Beck and Courtney Rolfe-Beck, one
New pad: The 64-year-old father of 26
recently moved into this taxpayer-funded five-bedroom house in Newport,
Isle of Wight, pictured
He said: 'People think I live a life of luxury but I don't. I don't drink or take drugs or go out.
'I
do what I can to keep my children happy. It is hard. By the time I have
spent my money on gas, electric and food shopping, I end up with about
£20-a-week spare'.
Including his £198 weekly rent, jobless Mr Rolfe and his family are costing taxpayers £900 a week, or £46,800 a year.
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Mr
Rolfe, who has 14 daughters and 12 sons, claims that he is raking in
around £900-a-week or £46,800-a-year in total welfare payments for him
and his brood.
But he is still shamelessly pursuing the council for £1,000 in compensation over his previous three bedroom house.
Other
Isle of Wight residents are furious about Mr Rolfe's spacious new home,
his benefits and the audacity of his compensation demand.
He
claims that his former property, which he moved into in September 2011,
was too small for his super-sized family, up to 17 of whom would sleep
there at weekends.
Incredibly,
when he complained to the Local Government Ombudsman, it ruled that the
council should pay him £1,000 for the 'serious injustice' his family
had suffered.
The
council is refusing to pay him it because it says he has 'operated the
system to his advantage' and any payment would have to come out of its
homelessness prevention budget.
One-eyed
Mr Rolfe, who walks with a stick, last year appeared on Channel 5's
Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole and ITV's This Morning.
The
single father claimed on TV that he deserves the £500,000 plus in
benefits that he has raked in during over 20 years that he has been
unemployed.
At that time, none of Mr Rolfe's children, who range in age from four to 43, were in work.
Former
Tory MP Ann Widdecombe branded him Britain's most feckless father and
said he does not deserve a tent, let alone a council house.
Mr Rolfe's latest £300,000 property was bought in 2011 by Vectis Housing Association.
Mr
Rolfe moved in last month with his sons Peter, 19 and Anthony, 16;
daughters Roseanne, 18, Leeanne, 17, Marianne, 16, Carrianne, 14; and
Leeanne's one-year-old twins Lexi and Courtney.
Workmen spent weeks installing a brand new kitchen and carrying out other improvements.
Refurbishment: Mr Rolfe, pictured in
his new kitchen, whose children range in age between four to 44, has
spent the past 20 years unemployed claiming £500,000 in benefits
Compensation:
Mr Rolfe is trying to claim a £1,000 payout from his local council
because he claims they took too long in providing him with a larger home
for his family - the Local Government Ombudsman agrees - but the
council says they have 'better things to spend money on'
Speaking
from his new home, which boasts a large cream-coloured sofa and giant
Plasma screen with satellite TV in the lounge, Mr Rolfe said: 'All I
want is a suitable home.
'The
new house is better than what I had before. It is bigger. And the
people who live in the street have been very good. They have welcomed
me.
'My benefits are around £900-a-week but I don't get £900 cash in hand and every penny goes towards the house and the children.
'The
housing benefit goes to my housing association. And there's other
things like council tax and collecting the bins that are paid for me but
I don't know how much they are.'
Mr Rolfe declared himself baffled why people paying a mortgage might be upset at him being handed his dream five bedroom home.
I
have got a lot of children and I have got regrets that I am not in
contact with them all.'We have all got things we would do differently if
we had our lives again
Peter Rolfe
He
said: 'There are a lot of people I know who get more than I do. I know
someone who told me he gets £1,000-a-week because he and his children
are disabled.
'I don't know why people are creating about what I get. They treat me worse than a sex offender.'
Mr Rolfe claimed that he is being 'bullied' by the council.
He
said 'I give all the credit to Vectis Housing Association, not the
council, for finding me the property, which I am very pleased with.
'I came up at the end of November to look at it and said "Yes, I will have that" and moved in on December 8.
'But
I want the £1,000 because the Ombudsman awarded me that money. I have
been battling the council since 2004 over housing. All I ever wanted was
a suitable house. I am not living in a mansion.
'What is the point of having an Ombudsman if the council can ignore his ruling?
'I am an embarrassment to the council because I won't lie down and die. They don't like that.
'They
try and bully you. If they think you're an idiot, they bully you. They
think that if they ignore me that I will go away but I am not going to.
'If
they are saying that I am working the system, then it is their system
and complaints procedure. If I could afford to sue the council I
would.'
Plea: The family says his previous house in Newport was too cramped and in poor condition and Mr Rolfe has now got his own way
Former
school chef Mr Rolfe suffers from arthritis and diabetes. His welfare
payments were slashed to £500-a-week after a benefit cap was introduced
in 2013.
But
extra disability allowances have bumped his money up to pre-cap levels.
He says his weekly handouts include £198 housing benefit, £61 child
benefit, £271 income support, £103 disability benefit and a £124 state
pension that he has received since the age of 60.
He said: 'I have done loads of jobs in the past. I've not been on the dole all my life.
Confused: Mr Rolfe is baffled why people paying a mortgage might be upset at him being handed his dream five bedroom home
'It is the kids that stop me from working and also my arthritis.
'I have got a lot of children and I have got regrets that I am not in contact with them all.
'We have all got things we would do differently if we had our lives again.'
Mr
Rolfe, who is now single, said that he could not remember whether he
had been married 'three or four times'. However, it is believed to be
six times.
Ann
Widdecombe said of Rolfe: 'This must be Britain's most feckless father.
It is an indictment on Britain that we allow somebody like this to live
on the dole while the rest of us work hard.
'There
are many families who would like one or two more children but can't
afford it, yet it's their taxes that pay for this guy. He shouldn't get a
tent, let alone a council house. We are mad to pay it.'
But Mr Rolfe today hit out at the former MP, saying: 'She has got no right to say that because she does not know me.
'She should come and live here with me for a couple of days. She would see that I am a good dad.'
Mr Rolfe claims that he is stopped in the street to give autographs and pose for pictures.
But Isle of Wight residents have slammed Mr Rolfe after local media reported his new home and compensation demand.
Alison Rickard said: 'Makes me sick. If he stopped having kids they wouldn't need more room. Try getting a job.'
William
Willis, said: 'Well happy Xmas you lazy sod from all us hard-working
honest taxpayers that have subsidised your tired butt for so many years
and still haven't got half of what you have.
'There are more people out there that deserve it more than you and your tired, lazy family.
'You have no morals.'
And Sandy Oliver said: 'This man has the audacity to demand payment because the system has been too soft on him all along.
'No
doubt he is shocked he can't pocket yet another grand on all the money
he has been handed out over the years. Why on earth should he get a
penny?
'He is one of thousands in this country who contribute nothing and take all the time.
'I would have loved the luxury of more children but knew we couldn't afford it.
'There are many people on the Island doing two jobs and they still find it hard to cope.
'In the meantime, I am paying high taxes to keep the likes of Mr Rolfe on his backside laughing all the way to his bank.'
Council
leader Jonathan Bacon said that the authority has a legal duty to
provide housing big enough for Rolfe's family but is resisting his
'cheeky' demand for £1,000.
He said: 'Mr Rolfe has operated the system to his advantage.
'We have duties imposed on us to house people whatever one thinks of the rights or wrongs.
'You
can imagine our reaction to him being awarded anything by the
Ombudsman. Our attitude was that if he was going to be that cheeky, we
would not pay him £1,000.
'There
are much better things for us to spend our money on. We have only got a
very limited pot of money and something paid out unnecessarily
prejudices someone perhaps more deserving elsewhere'.
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Mother-of-five who went on a night out wearing just bra, knickers and a coat attacked woman who tried to help her
- Lisa Warner went out wearing a bra, knickers and coat on freezing evening
- When Lisa Mills suggested mother-of-five put more clothes on because she was concerned for her welfare she turned on 44-year-old
- Warner, 36, spat at Miss Mills and grabbed her hair for two minutes
- Three people were needed to restrain her so Miss Mills could be treated
- Warner accepted she had had a 'drink or two' on evening of the row
A
mother-of-five went on a night out wearing just her bra, knickers and a
coat attacked another woman who tried to help her by suggesting she put
more clothes on.
Lisa
Warner, 36, went out in Worcester scantily dressed in just a bra,
knickers and an overcoat in freezing temperatures on January 11 this
year.
But
when Lisa Mills approached her because she was concerned for her
welfare in her state of undress, Warner lashed out and grabbed her hair
and spat ferociously at the 44-year-old.
Lisa Warner went out on a freezing
January evening wearing just a bra and knickers but turned on a woman,
spitting at her and pulling her hair, when she suggested the
mother-of-five put more clothes on
Three people had to restrain an angry Warner so that paramedics could treat Miss Mills for facial injuries.
In a police interview, Warner accepted she 'had a drink or two' and 'could not remember very much about what went on'.
At
a hearing at Worcester Magistrates' Court Warner was given a
conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay compensation of
£50, court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £15.
Mark Soper, prosecuting, told the court: 'Miss Warner was wearing underwear with a coat over the top.
'Her son was trying to get her to go back to her home address. It was quite a cold night.
'Miss
Mills and her friend approached the defendant to suggest she go home
because of the temperature and her lack of clothing at which point Miss
Warner turned on Miss Mills.
Warner had been at the Punch Bowl pub in Worcester when the row between the women took place
Warner had gone out to the pub in Worcester scantily clad and later admitted she 'had had a few drinks'
'She reached her arms up over the railing to try and slap Miss Mills over the head.
'She stood up on the lower wall, bent over the railing and quite simply she spat at Miss Mills. It landed on her shoulder.
'She grabbed her by the hair, pulling her forcefully and held onto her for two minutes.
'It took three people to remove Miss Warner from attacking Miss Mills.'
Warner
has two previous convictions, a public order act offence in 2008 and
sending an indecent or an offensive message from 2012.
The court heard Warner spat at Miss Mills and pulled her hair, clutching at the strands for two minutes
Mark
Lister, defending, said Warner lived next door to Miss Mills' father.
He said 'There are ongoing issues between the families.
'Miss Mills did not have any need to speak to Miss Warner at all.
'It is unfortunate she got involved.
'Miss
Mills was the author of her own misfortune in this. She (Warner)
bitterly regrets what happened and asks you to accept her apology.'
Seattle dog's rush hour ride: on the bus, by herself, weekly
SEATTLE -- Public transit in Seattle has gone to the dogs.
Commuters in Belltown report seeing a Black Labrador riding the bus alone in recent weeks. The 2-year old has been spotted roaming the aisles, hopping onto seats next to strangers, and even doing her part to clean the bus -- by licking her surroundings.
"All the bus drivers know her. She sits here just like a person does," said commuter Tiona Rainwater, as she rode the bus through downtown Monday. "She makes everybody happy. How could you not love this thing?"
When the dog got off the bus - without an owner - at a dog park last week, it piqued the curiosity of local radio host Miles Montgomery of KISW-FM.
"It doesn't really appear to have an owner. The dog gets off at the dog park. I just look out the window and I'm like, 'did that just happen?'" Montgomery asked. "She was most concerned about seeing out the window, and I couldn't figure out what that was. It was really just about seeing where her stop was."
Turns out the dog, Eclipse, doesn't always ride the bus alone. She visits the dog park a few times a week, sometimes with her owner.
The duo lives right near the bus stop at 3 Ave. W. and W. Mercer Street. Eclipse's solo rush hour ride happened one day when her owner took too long to finish a cigarette.
"We get separated. She gets on the bus without me, and I catch up with her at the dog park," said Jeff Young, who owns the dog. "It's not hard to get on. She gets on in front of her house and she gets off at the dog park, three or four stops later."
Young said the tradition has been going on for a while.
"She's been here the last two years, so she's been urbanized, totally. She's a bus-riding, sidewalk-walking dog," he said. "Probably once a week I get a phone call. 'Hi. I have your dog Eclipse here on 3rd and Bell,'" he recounted. "I have to tell them, 'no. She's fine.' She knows what she's doing."
A spokesman for Metro Transit said the agency loves that a dog appreciates public transit.
"She would be much safer in the world if she had her owner on a leash," he joked.
"It makes their day," added Young. "It's a good part of their day and it works out for her so I just let it go."
Commuters in Belltown report seeing a Black Labrador riding the bus alone in recent weeks. The 2-year old has been spotted roaming the aisles, hopping onto seats next to strangers, and even doing her part to clean the bus -- by licking her surroundings.
"All the bus drivers know her. She sits here just like a person does," said commuter Tiona Rainwater, as she rode the bus through downtown Monday. "She makes everybody happy. How could you not love this thing?"
When the dog got off the bus - without an owner - at a dog park last week, it piqued the curiosity of local radio host Miles Montgomery of KISW-FM.
"It doesn't really appear to have an owner. The dog gets off at the dog park. I just look out the window and I'm like, 'did that just happen?'" Montgomery asked. "She was most concerned about seeing out the window, and I couldn't figure out what that was. It was really just about seeing where her stop was."
Turns out the dog, Eclipse, doesn't always ride the bus alone. She visits the dog park a few times a week, sometimes with her owner.
The duo lives right near the bus stop at 3 Ave. W. and W. Mercer Street. Eclipse's solo rush hour ride happened one day when her owner took too long to finish a cigarette.
"We get separated. She gets on the bus without me, and I catch up with her at the dog park," said Jeff Young, who owns the dog. "It's not hard to get on. She gets on in front of her house and she gets off at the dog park, three or four stops later."
Young said the tradition has been going on for a while.
"She's been here the last two years, so she's been urbanized, totally. She's a bus-riding, sidewalk-walking dog," he said. "Probably once a week I get a phone call. 'Hi. I have your dog Eclipse here on 3rd and Bell,'" he recounted. "I have to tell them, 'no. She's fine.' She knows what she's doing."
A spokesman for Metro Transit said the agency loves that a dog appreciates public transit.
"She would be much safer in the world if she had her owner on a leash," he joked.
"It makes their day," added Young. "It's a good part of their day and it works out for her so I just let it go."
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