MAN BURIED ALIVE IN COFFIN AFTER KISSING WIFE GOODBYE-Sarah Scott

Man is BURIED ALIVE in coffin under city street after kissing his wife goodbye

Friends closed the lid of the casket and dumped soil on top of it after John Edwards climbed inside the box and laid down

A husband kissed his wife goodbye before being buried in a coffin under a city street.
Friends and family closed the lid of the casket and dumped soil on top of it today after John Edwards climbed inside the box and laid down.
The pensioner is to spend three days inside the coffin in a hole dug with a JCB outside a church in Belfast.
But he will at least have the benefit of mod cons including broadband internet.

John will spend three days in the coffin (Photo: Alan Lewis)

John hopes the stunt will help raise awareness for those suffering from addiction and depression .
The former addict founded the charity Walking Free, which helps people who are suicidal and those with addiction.

John's wife Trish helped to shovel soil onto his coffin (Photo: Alan Lewis)

He will live stream help and advice to addicts from inside his coffin.

"I'm a former addict and I've been clean and sober for 25 years," John said.
"I'm making a very large coffin, I'm burying it in East Belfast and I'm going to live in it for three days."

John was helped into the casket by his wife and friends (Photo: Alan Lewis)

During his three-day stint in the coffin, John will be broadcasting stories of hope from his temporary underground home to help those who are struggling.
"I know this is a radical move but people are continually contacting me who are either suicidal or who know friends or family who are," he told Belfast Live .
"My plan is to speak to them from the grave before they get there and show them hope."

John gives Trish a kiss before climbing into his coffin (Photo: Alan Lewis)

A piece of ground alongside Willowfield Parish Church, in the east of the city, was prepared for the stunt as JCBs dug a hole to accommodate a coffin.

John Edwards being buried alive (Photo: Alan Lewis)

The coffin, big enough for John to sit up and lie down in, has been kitted out with electrics and broadband.
The live stream from the coffin will be broadcast on the Walking Free website and live on Facebook.

Trish places a headstone over John's 'grave' (Photo: Alan Lewis)

John will take calls, emails, Skype and texts from people around the world, who in turn will share their stories, live streaming through the coffin.
It is hoped the feed will reach millions around the world.
"People will communicate with me how they have navigated and overcome trauma, suicide attempts, coping with addicted children or family members as well as addiction to substance and behavior," he said.

John air pipes from the surface to the coffin 6ft under (Photo: Alan Lewis)

John, a committed Christian who has been happily married to wife Trish for 20 years, said he is both privileged and humbled to help those who've lost hope.
Willowfield rector David McClay said: "John is going into the coffin on Ash Wednesday which marks the start of Lent. The season of Lent is one when Christians talk about dying to ourselves.
"But the message from the grave is one of hope - hope for those who are struggling with addictions, hope for those who feel life is hopeless, and hope of life that is eternal.

Culled from Mirror