Funeral bosses left body for 36 days, court hears

Hayley Bell and Richard Elkin are on trial at Portsmouth Crown Court

Two funeral directors left the body of an elderly man in a leaky room for 36 days, a court has heard.

Richard Elkin, 49, and Hayley Bell, 42, also failed to buy a coffin for the body of the man, Portsmouth Crown Court was told.

The uncooled mortuary room at Elkin and Bell Funerals in Gosport, Hampshire, had water dripping down the walls, prosecutors said.

The pair deny preventing lawful burial of a dead body, intentionally causing a public nuisance and fraud.

Warning: The following report contains distressing details

Lesley Bates KC, prosecuting, said the bodies of two elderly men were found by court agents who were repossessing the premises because of debts including more than £13,000 in unpaid rent.

Ms Bates said: "Water was coming in through a leak in the roof of the mortuary room, it was running down the walls.

"The room was not refrigerated. The temperature within the mortuary room was no different to elsewhere in the premises."

Ms Bates said one body, of William Mitchell, 87, "showed obvious signs of decomposition" after remaining in the room for 36 days.

She said Mr Mitchell's family were "incredulous" when they learned his body had not been cremated.

Mr Elkin told police the firm had not been paid for the ceremony, but the pair had in fact received £2,040 from the family funeral plan, the prosecutor said.

The defendant told detectives the business was Ms Bell's responsibility, but she said he was "actively involved" and had collected Mr Mitchell's body, the court heard.

The pair also said they were waiting for their landlord to repair the mortuary's leaking roof, the jury was told.

The prosecutor said the funeral directors had been insolvent "almost since it began in 2019" and its "business model was a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul".

Mr Elkin is also accused of using a false certificate of funeral directing.

The trial continues.