After a life ravaged by tragedy, illness and addiction, Neil moved into woodland near Rainham in a bid to escape his past.

With winter closing in, it was a desperate move, and his situation became even more desperate last week when thugs trashed his tent and stole food, belongings and medication - medication which he desperately needs for paranoid schizophrenia and lung condition COPD.

Neil, 46 - who did not want to publish his surname - spoke to KentOnline to explain how he had been living in fear and loneliness even before the attack, but now felt even more isolated and rejected by society.

"Where I was staying, I kept it clean," he explained. "There's no mess there. When I have food I put any rubbish in the carrier bag and throw it in a bin.

"I had a fire the other night because it was really cold. Some builders came over and said you're not allowed to be here - so I put the fire out.

"They were quite young and rude. The next day when I came back to go to sleep and the outside of the tent had gone. The inside had been ripped up.

"It was shredded and clothes were missing, food was gone - there were tins of ham and corned beef gone. Some of the medication was gone and some of it was thrown everywhere.

"I would never dream of doing that to someone. I've just been trying to change my life around. That's why I'm in the woods but sometimes it's horrible.

"I stood there that day and cried. I thought 'I'm not hurting anyone.'

"Where I've got schizophrenia, I'm now really paranoid, so I stay up late because I'm frightened people are going to come."

Nevertheless, there are people in Rainham who don't see Neil as a threat or nuisance - foremost among them being Neil Charlick of homeless charity Gillingham Street Angels, who was able to replace the tent and other items, and helped Neil get more medication.

Neil is still facing a battle to survive the coming months, but it will just be the latest in a series of battles to survive, for a man who was dealt a bad hand from birth.

"My mum was a working girl and I got into drugs," explained Neil, who slipped into a life of sofa-surfing and drug use from a young age, and who was plunged further into drug use and mental ill health after the death of his daughter.

"I don't want to go back near the people I know," he said. "I don't want that around me any more, and I'm doing really good.

"I would love to get a place, shut my door and call it home, but they want so much money for a deposit.

"Sometimes I think 'is it worth the struggle?'"

Hopefully with the help and support of others, the answer will be yes - and Mr Charlick said a number of residents had offered help since then incident.

"It doesn't get any lower than stealing from the homeless," said Mr Charlick. "We rang up and made a report, but they weren't particularly interested.

"Some people commented (on Facebook) suggesting another homeless person had taken the tent, but it's not. This is a disgruntled resident who thinks we're far too posh to have someone homeless in the woods.

"He's been staying in the woods and hasn't caused any problems at all. He doesn't leave any rubbish. He's very respectable as far as homeless people go

"He's gone somewhere where he thinks he'll be left alone."

But while Neil has indeed chosen to be somewhere alone, that doesn't mean he's not stricken by loneliness.

And while he said people usually avoided approaching him, he still appreciated those that made an effort.

"When I come out of my tent I try to talk to people, but usually they don't really want to talk to me," he said. "There's a lady that lives near the tent - she's got a flat nearby, and sometimes she does my washing or she comes for a chat.

"A few times I've had stones thrown at my tent, which is only kids, but I am a bit worried."

And he added: "I like talking. I never thought at 46 I'd be so lonely. I get quite upset when I talk about it.

"I've been phoning the Samaritans at night, but I'm worried about my phone running out of battery.

"What I would like in life is just to get a chance."

To support Gillingham Street Angels visit The Street Angels website or find them on Facebook.

Read more: all the latest news from Medway.