A homeless dad, who was a familiar figure huddled outside a retail park store with his dog, has died at the age of just 32.

Tributes have poured in on social media from scores of shoppers who used to stop to chat and donate money to Scott Flisher and his beloved French bulldog, Buddy, outside Marks & Spencer at Strood Retail Park.

The rough sleeper passed away at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham on New Year's Day after fighting sepsis and pneumonia.

His mum Claire Flisher paid tribute to her eldest son, whom she described as “no angel” but always well-intentioned and polite to others.

Claire, 50, said Scott’s world took a turn for the worse after the death of his premature baby daughter 11 years ago.

Falling on troubled times, his other children were taken into care and Scott‘s mental health deteriorated over the years.

He started using heroin and tried to take his own life in 2022 and again last year.

He also suffered with ADHD.

Claire made regular trips to visit Scott, spoke to him every day on the phone and on Christmas Day dropped off a lunch and a blanket she had crocheted for extra warmth.

On Christmas Eve he had called her at her Cliffe Woods home complaining that he was coughing up blood and felt unwell.

Claire told him to go to hospital but instead he went to a chemist and was given medication for a chest infection.

By last Friday he was in intensive care with suspected sepsis and his family were told to expect the worst.

On Sunday, Claire visited with her daughter Danielle, 28, who bathed him and tidied his hair as he lay unconscious in bed.

Mother and daughter “laughed and giggled” about happier times when Scott was growing up as a young lad.

His last words to his mum before being placed into an induced coma were “I love you Mum”.

Clare said: “He’s always been a mummy’s boy.

“But I told him not to be a selfish little idiot.

“It would be me who has to bury him and tell his children their daddy was dead.”

Claire made her normal early morning call to the ward on Monday to check his condition saying she would be in later on.

Ten minutes later she got a call from a nurse telling her to “get there straight away”.

She said: “I rushed out with my husband Jack with no coat – just shorts, trainers and a t-shirt.”

The couple got there 10 minutes too late as Scott was pronounced dead at 9.05am.

His pet Buddy, which Claire got as a puppy, is being looked after by relatives.

Claire said: “That dog was his lifeline. I gave it to him as a companion.

“He thought more of that dog than he did himself.”

Scott would have been invited to Christmas dinner at the family home, but Claire – who has other dogs – feared the animals would fight.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalised but Claire wants mourners to wear tracksuits and trainers as a tribute to Scott.

“That’s what he wore to my wedding,” she said.

Scott comes from a Traveller background and moved to Medway from Greater Manchester when he was two.

He worked for his father’s scrap metal business across the southeast before going off the rails.

Claire, a mum of four, said: “I don’t want to paint him as an angel, because he wasn’t. He was in and out of prison for car thefts and burglaries.

“He was naughty and didn’t go to school.

“But I remember him as a typical boy. He was always well-intentioned and always polite.

“I taught him to respect others, especially anyone older than him.

“Right until the end we had hope for him even as his body was closing down.

“Nobody expects a 32-year-old to die.

“Buddy misses him so much, but he has started eating again.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up by his family. If you would like to donate, click here.

Heartfelt messages came in from well-wishers who have donated to Scott and Buddy over the last two years.

Many said how they gave him money to buy treats for the dog, and hot drinks and snacks for him.

Tributes were posted on social media after Scott’s mum broke the news of his passing.

Josh Burgess wrote: “Sorry for your loss. I spoke to Scott on a number of occasions and he was truly a down-to-earth, friendly guy.”

Samantha Louise posted: “I am so sorry to read this. Me and my children always bought him sandwiches and drinks and treats for Buddy. Rest in peace Scott, sleep well.”

Tyron Sole wrote: “RIP Scott. You wlll be missed and never forgotten.”