London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

Britain's 50-stone fattest man is hoisted out of his flat by CRANE

Britain's 50-stone fattest man is hoisted out of his flat by CRANE

Jason Holton, 30, from Camberley, Surrey, signed up to JustEat in 2014 and spent £30 a day on takeaways, including doner kebab meat, chips and chicken chow mein.

The mother and full-time carer of Britain's 50-stone fattest man today spoke of her hopes he will 'switch to salads' after he was hoisted out of their third-floor flat by a crane after developing a £10,000-a-year takeaway habit.

Jason Holton, 30, from Camberley, Surrey, has been housebound for five years and spends £30 a day on JustEat takeaways including doner meat, chips and chicken chow mein washed down with 1.5 litres of orange juice and five cans of diet coke.

His 52-year-old mother, Leisa, watched on as her son was evacuated by 30 fireman in a seven-hour operation, which involved structural engineers reinforcing the floor of their two-bed maisonette in case he fell.

She told MailOnline today: 'He always had a bit of an obesity problem. From when he was a child he was ok and not too bad. Most of it was five years ago when he piled on more weight after developing some mental health problems.

'He's been housebound and unable to get out of the house. I'm hoping he'll change things and just keep to salads and not go for takeaway foods. He's already spoken about that. I hope this might wake him up.'

Mr Holton's health problems mean he is unable to work, leaving him on benefits including £197.60 a week Employment Support Allowance and a £112.80 Personal Independence Payment. His mother also gets £200 a month to help with council tax.



Leisa was told her son could die of a heart attack in five years if he does not take serious action to curb his 10,000-calorie daily diet.

The worried mother insisted she has tried to stop him ordering takeaways with his debit card but believes he has an 'addiction' to fast food.

She added: 'Seeing him being lifted out of the flat was very worrying because they said he could actually stop breathing in the move. So I was just glad he was alright.'

'He's still in hospital at the moment, where he's been for nearly two weeks, although he hasn't had an operation yet.

'I haven't been able to visit because of the coronavirus. It's bad and really hard when you are worried about a member of your family but can't go and see them.'

Mr Holton has described how his ballooning weight and various mental and physical health problems had left him depressed. He spent weeks 'waiting for my heart to give up' before eventually calling the emergency services.

Mr Holton - who previously lost several stone at a New Jersey fat camp, is being treated for Lymphoedema, a chronic condition caused swelling in his groin and legs.

It is not known what NHS treatment Mr Holton could receive, but a complex Lymphoedema operation with follow up treatment can cost £4300 a year, according to the British Lymphology Society.

Meanwhile, bariatric surgery to remove excess fat typically costs the NHS £10,000 to £12,000 a patient.

Speaking from his hospital bed, he told The Sun: 'It was amazing because it was the first time in six years I'd experienced fresh air.

'I was given codeine to take away the pain from the crane straps, but all I remember is the breath of fresh air and the breeze rushing over my body.'

The operation, on October 11, was witnessed by a man who was walking by on his way from the pub and recorded what happened.

He told MailOnline: 'At first I thought it was a training operation or something, I didn't realise they were actually moving a person until later.

'All the firefighters set up their equipment before smashing the window and winching him down.'

Mr Holton said he once asked the NHS for gastric band surgery but was turned down. Instead his mother was told to rip up the debit card he uses to buy takeaways.

He became the UK's fattest man after 65st Carl Thompson died in 2015.

The 33-year-old, from Dover, had been housebound for more than a year after doctors warned he needed to lose 70 per cent of his body-weight to survive.

When his mother died of a brain tumour in 2012, Mr Thompson turned to junk food as a means of coping with his grief – despite already being obese.

His weight went from 30 stone to 65 in three years, leaving him unable to care for himself.

Consuming a staggering 10,000 calories every day – four times the usual daily amount for a man – Mr Thompson binged on Chinese takeaways and pizzas he had delivered to his door and claimed to have spent £10 a day on chocolate

Unable to walk or even dress himself, he was bathed and cooked for by a team of NHS carers.


Mr Holton's mother said his severe weight problems developed around five years ago


The winching operation - seen here in video grabs - involved 30 firefighters and took seven hours


Mr Holton was lifted out of his two-bed maisonette in a seven-hour operation that involved structural engineers propping up the floor in case he fell. The window he was removed from is circled in red


Mr Holton became the UK's fattest man after 65st Carl Thompson (pictured) died in 2015

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×