Miranda hunts for Brighton drain man

6:30am Friday 19th October 2012 in News By Ben James

Miranda Morris by the drain in Jubilee Square, Brighton Miranda Morris by the drain in Jubilee Square, Brighton

We've all seen the Disney classic Lady and the Tramp – but this tale of a woman and a vagrant is altogether different.

Actress Miranda Morris, 43, of Brighton, is on the search for her homeless knight in shining armour.

When she dropped her iPhone down a drain in Brighton’s Jubilee Square, passers-by gathered to offer their sympathy and suggestions, but little help.

Just when the new gadget began to sink into the slurry, a homeless man sprang into action.

Known only as Sam, he demanded everyone to stand back, stripped off and pulled the smartphone from the drain.

Ms Morris said: “Everyone kept making sympathetic noises but nobody offered to help.

“Then out of nowhere came this homeless man. He said that he could help because he had skinny arms and so stripped off and got stuck in.”

Seconds later he pulled the smartphone from the drain and reunited it with a stunned Ms Morris.

'Drain man'

The assembled crowd began to cheer and call him “Drain Man”, to which he responded, “No I’m just a local beggar”.

Taken aback by this random act of kindness, Ms Morris took the undernourished man across the road to Tesco for a sandwich.

She added: “He didn’t ask for anything and that really touched me. I offered to buy him a meal deal but he insisted that ‘just a sandwich was fine’. Finally I persuaded him and he took ages to choose a flavour of crisps because he said he hadn’t had them for such a long time.”

Ms Morris is now searching for the 30 to 35-year-old man in order to thank him properly. She describes him as being white, 5ft 10in, skinny with a birth mark or scar on the side of his face.

She added: “The whole event has really changed my perception of homeless people. Sam is just a regular guy who has fallen on hard times and because he’s a single male he isn’t seen as a priority by the authorities.

“These days with the recession and cuts, I think we’re all closer than we would like to think to being in that situation.

“If Sam’s fortunes can improve even slightly because of his act of kindness then that would be fantastic.”

Do you know Sam? Contact ben.james@theargus.co.uk.

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Comments(18)

lmlosborne says...
7:21am Fri 19 Oct 12

It's so nice to hear a lovely story about another human doing something for another human. If only people actually saw the homeless instead of waiting for them to do something for them, maybe men such as this would get help- Ms Morris' point of him being 'just a single male' so not being seen is very acute and appropriate.

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leobrighton says...
8:54am Fri 19 Oct 12

It is and the blatant discrimination by the council leads to the homeless situation

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Cash Cow says...
8:56am Fri 19 Oct 12

"Ms Morris is now searching for the 30 to 35-year-old man in order to thank him properly"

I hope he has a shower first!

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mimseycal says...
9:08am Fri 19 Oct 12

One cannot help but wonder why she did not make more of an effort to thank him while she bought him a sandwich ...

Without detracting from Sams' act of decency in any way, getting her picture in the paper can't be harming Ms Morris' publicity rating ;)

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Gym'll fix me says...
9:28am Fri 19 Oct 12

Went for a short tramp around Jubilee Square but he got away

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BiggerH says...
9:28am Fri 19 Oct 12

thank God he was so undernourished and had such skinny arms to save her precious iPhone.

I can understand where he is coming from with the crisps selection though.

I use that Tescos at lunchtime and it does take a while to decide on whether it's going to be roast beef Monster Munch/Hula Hoops/Discos/etc

the choice is indeed dizzying

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Crystal Ball says...
9:29am Fri 19 Oct 12

mimseycal wrote:
One cannot help but wonder why she did not make more of an effort to thank him while she bought him a sandwich ...

Without detracting from Sams' act of decency in any way, getting her picture in the paper can't be harming Ms Morris' publicity rating ;)
I guess Sam wasn't around for the photo shoot?

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Morpheus says...
9:30am Fri 19 Oct 12

Why didn't she "thank him properly" at the time? This seems more like a publicity seeking actor than anything else.

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vonster says...
10:19am Fri 19 Oct 12

well done Sam and nice work Miranda...i really hope you find Sam and this story can go some way to helping him and many others like him. I was homeless in Brighton very briefly a long time ago...I was turned away by The Sally Army and the Church when I asked for help...without the kindness of strangers and some of the friends I had made there I don't know where I might have ended up. I'm forever grateful to them.

good luck Miranda and Sam.

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claudcc says...
10:34am Fri 19 Oct 12

ahh, nice to have a positive story for a change. How lovely. Although it seems some trolls are so miserable they cannot comprehend or appreciate a genuine story of human kindeness. Here's to a better life for Sam.

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Goldenwight says...
11:26am Fri 19 Oct 12

But did the iPhone actually work afterwards?

And for that matter, how exactly did she manage to drop it down a storm drain grating?

And regardless of whether this woman wants to thank him or just get a bit of free publicity, this guy needs to be medically checked out- sewer diving is NOT a healthy occupation.

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bruce_ says...
12:13pm Fri 19 Oct 12

It's nice that Sam helped Miranda. Suggestion: a large hole somewhere where mobile phones can be dumped without fear of blocking the drains. And next time, Sam, don't put yourself out so much for a mobile!

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Dave At Home says...
2:45pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Wonderful story and proves not all beggars are the same.

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Baldseagull says...
3:20pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Shame that it took a homeless person to help her with a problem before she was able to change her perception of homeless people.
Now if only an actor, could do something useful, maybe I could change my perception of actors as self absorbed egotistical luvvies.

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claudcc says...
9:36pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Or @baldseagull, we can just be happy that another person has appreciated someone doing something nice for her.

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claudcc says...
9:36pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Or @baldseagull, we can just be happy that another person has appreciated someone doing something nice for her.

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Cash Bull says...
11:51am Sat 20 Oct 12

I see that someone left their bike chained to a sign. NOTE! they are obstructing the pavement, and leagally removable. We regularly cut the chains on the ones attached to rails outside our offices and leave them against the wall, they last about 15 minutes in Brighton. Handy to cigarette disposal and chewing gum though.

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vonster says...
12:46pm Sat 20 Oct 12

perhaps if the local councils were to provide more lock up places for bikes we wouldn't be forced to lock them to other immovable objects...it's a constant problem for cyclists. what's the point of having them removed? seems very petty if you ask me...

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