A homeless man whose bedroom was wet by a McDonald's security guard is breaking his silence

Homeless, whose bedroom was soaked by a security guard working at McDonald's says he was traumatized by the incident, claiming “I could have died.”

Aaron McCarthy, 25, was sitting near a Nationwide bank next to a fast food chain on Victoria Street in London when the guard asked him to move.

The 25-year-old remained in place, prompting the staff member to kick Mr McCarthy's belongings and splash water on the ground where his sleeping bag was.

The incident sparked outrage after one person shared a video of the incident on social media and said: “Do you think it's okay for your staff to soak homeless people's sleeping bags in the middle of winter (or any other time of year?) )?”

Observers described the incident as “disgusting” and “an explosion out of order”.

Mr McCarthy, who has nowhere to stay for Christmas, said he has been unable to sleep since the incident.

He told MailOnline: 'It made me feel like I was nobody, nothing. What happened really affected my mental health.

“That guard had no reason to water my sleeping bag.”

Speaking to The Sun, he added: “I couldn't even sleep that night because my stuff was soaked. Part is still wet. This water had bleach in it. The water was cold, but now it's winter. I could have died.”

Mr McGarthy, originally from Limerick, says he has lived on the streets of London since leaving his foster mother's home when he was 17.

The Irishman has detailed his mental health issues, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder, which have led him to live on the streets.

He also talked about his harsh upbringing.

McDonald's has since apologized, saying they were “shocked and saddened” by the incident. The employee, hired through a third party, has been fired, they added.

Mr McCarthy said McDonald's also bought him new bed linen.

Homelessness charity Crisis told the BBC it condemned the security guard's actions. Chief executive Matt Downey said: “It's appalling to see people treated like this.”

The Meteorological Bureau issued a the weather warning in London on Saturday as gusts of 40mph hit the capital and temperatures plunged into the single digits.

The shocking incident comes at a time when the number of people sleeping rough in the capital has reached a record high.

More than 4,000 people were found to be sleeping rough in London between July and September, figures from various agencies show – the highest quarterly number outside the pandemic since records began, after a 12 per cent rise over the year.